Methods and apparatus for facilitating flat rate play sessions

ABSTRACT

In accordance with one embodiment, a video roulette flat rate play session is facilitated. The flat rate play session may be associated with at least one of a wagering restriction applied to one or more bets during the flat rate play session and a net maximum payout per spin applicable to one or more bets during the flat rate play session. In one embodiment, a player is provided with a plurality of wagering units at the beginning of the session. A monetary value of the plurality of wagering units may be greater than a monetary value of a flat rate price paid for the flat rate play session.

The present application claims the benefit of priority of PCT/US08154728filed Feb. 22, 2008 entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATINGFLAT RATE PLAY SESSIONS” which claims priority and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/891,154, filed Feb. 22, 2007.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/986,529,filed Nov. 10, 2004 in the name of Walker et al. and entitled GAMINGDEVICE FOR A FLAT RATE PLAY SESSION AND A METHOD OF OPERATING SAME,which application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 10/001,089 filed Nov. 2, 2001, which is a continuation-in-partapplication of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/518,760 filed 03103100,which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No.08/880,838 filed 06123197.

The entirety of each of these applications is incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of a system according to oneembodiment of the present invention, including a slot machine and a slotnetwork server;

FIG. 2 a is a schematic view of the slot machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 b is a plan view of the slot machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the slot network server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a casino player database of the server ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the flat rate database of the slot machineof FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the payout table of the slot machine ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the calculation table of the slot machineof FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b are overall flow diagrams of the operation of thesystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a detailed flow diagram of the operation of the system of FIG.1;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of the process of terminating play of thesystem of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 11 a and 11 b are flow diagrams of the process of resuming play ofthe system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are overall flow diagrams of the operation ofanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of the process of receiving a payout in theembodiment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the flat rate price package database ofthe slot machine of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 15 is an overall flow diagram of the operation of anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an overall schematic view of a system according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the casino server of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the insurer device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is schematic view of the gaming device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the player device of FIG. 16.

FIG. 21 is a table illustrating an embodiment of the player databasestored in the casino server of FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a table illustrating an embodiment of the gaming devicedatabase stored in the casino server of FIG. 17.

FIG. 23 is a table illustrating an embodiment of the contract databasestored in the casino server of FIG. 17.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention, the process corresponding to thesystem illustrated in FIG. 16.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot illustrating an example screen of a videoroulette session, consistent with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with one ormore embodiments, a process for facilitating a video roulette session.

FIGS. 27 a-27 c illustrate three distinct screen shots of screens thatmay be output via a gaming device upon an occurrence of a qualifyingjackpot, consistent with one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described ingreater detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understoodthat the embodiments described herein are relevant to many differenttypes of games and gaming devices, such as reeled slot machines (whetherstepper reels or video reels), video poker machines, video blackjackmachines, video roulette machines, video keno machines, video baccaratmachines and the like.

The present invention is directed generally to a method and apparatusfor operating a gaming device having a flat rate play session. As usedherein, flat rate play session is defined as a period of play whereinthe player need not make funds available for any play during the playsession. The flat rate play session spans multiple plays of the gamingdevice. These multiple plays are aggregated into intervals or segmentsof play. It is to be understood that the term interval as used hereincould be time, handle pulls, and any other segment in which slot machineplay could be divided. For example, two hours, one hundred spins, fiftywinning spins, etc. A player enters player identifying information andplayer selected price parameters at a gaming device. The priceparameters define the flat rate play session, describing the duration ofplay, machine denomination, jackpots active, etc. The gaming devicestores the player selected price parameters and proceeds to retrieve theflat rate price of playing the gaming device for the flat rate playsession. The player selected price parameters, in combination withoperator price parameters, determine the flat rate price. Should theplayer decide to pay the flat rate price, the player simply depositsthat amount into the gaming device or makes a credit account availablefor the gaming device to debit. For example, it might cost twenty-fivedollars to play for half an hour.

Once the player initiates play, the gaming device tracks the flat rateplay session and stops the play when the session is completed, usuallywhen a time limit has expired. During the play session, the player isnot required to deposit any coins. Payouts are made either directly tothe player in the form of coins or indirectly in the form of credits tothe credit balance stored in the machine. It should be understood thatthe player balance could be stored in a number of mediums, such as smartcards, credit card accounts, debit cards, and hotel credit accounts.

With reference to FIG. 1, a system 100 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention is shown. In general, the system 100 comprisesmultiple slot machines 102 and a slot network server 106. In the presentembodiment, each slot machine 102, which is uniquely identified by amachine identification (ID) number, communicates with the slot networkserver 106 via a slot network 104. The slot network 104 is preferably aconventional local area network controlled by the server 106. It is tobe understood, however, that other arrangements in which the slotmachines 102 communicate with the server 106 are within the scope of thepresent invention.

As will be described in greater detail below, in one embodiment, theslot machine 102 communicates player identifying information to the slotnetwork server 106. The slot network server 106, in turn, verifies theplayer identifying information. The slot machine 102 also calculates aflat rate price based on both player selected and casino determinedprice parameters and displays the flat rate price to the player. Theplayer may then accept the flat rate price and initiate play. In anotherembodiment, the present invention may be practiced without server 106,in an arrangement in which the slot machine 102 calculates the flat rateprice.

With reference to FIG. 2 a, the slot machine 102 will now be describedin greater detail. The slot machine 102 contains a Central ProcessingUnit (CPU) 210, a clock 212, and an operating system 214 (typicallystored in memory as software). The CPU 210 executes instructions of aprogram stored in Read Only Memory (ROM) 216 for playing the slotmachine 102. The Random Access Memory (RAM) 218 temporarily storesinformation passed to it by the CPU 210 during play. Also incommunication with the CPU 210 is a Random Number Generator (RNG) 220.

With respect to gaming operations, the slot machine 102 operates in aconventional manner. The player starts the machine 102 by inserting acoin into coin acceptor 248, or using electronic credit, and pressingthe starting controller 222. Under control of a program stored, forexample in a data storage device 224 or ROM 216, the CPU 210 initiatesthe RNG 220 to generate a number. The CPU 210 looks up the generatedrandom number in a stored probability table 226, which contains a listwhich matches random numbers to corresponding outcomes, and finds theappropriate outcome. Based on the identified outcome, the CPU 210locates the appropriate payout in a stored payout table 228. The CPU 210also directs a reel controller 230 to spin reels 232, 234, 236 and tostop them at a point when they display a combination of symbolscorresponding to the appropriate payout. When the player wins, themachine stores the credits in RAM 218 and displays the current balancein video display area 238. In an alternate embodiment, the slot machine102 dispenses the coins to a payout tray (not shown), and in anotherembodiment, the slot network server 106 stores the player credits.

A hopper controller 240 is connected to a hopper 242 for dispensingcoins. When the player requests to cash out by pushing a cashout button(not shown) on the slot machine 102, the CPU 210 checks the RAM 218 tosee if the player has any credit and, if so, signals the hoppercontroller 240 to release an appropriate number of coins into a payouttray (not shown). A coin acceptor 248 is also coupled to the CPU 210.Each coin received by the coin acceptor 248 is registered by the CPU210.

In alternate embodiments, the slot machine 102 does not include the reelcontroller 230 and reels 232, 234 and 236. Instead, a video display area238 graphically displays representations of objects contained in theselected game, such as graphical reels or playing cards. Theserepresentations are preferably animated to display playing of theselected game. Further, video display area 238 may be utilized by aplayer pursuant to the purchase, selection and configuration of a flatrate play session (e.g., a pre-packaged flat rate play session withoperator-specified parameters), as described in Applicant's co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/254,352, entitled METHODS ANDAPPARATUS FOR FACILITATING A FLAT RATE PLAY SESSION AND FOR EXTENDINGSAME, filed on Oct. 20, 2005; the entirety of this application isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Also in communication with the CPU 210 is a player tracking device 260.The tracking device 260 comprises a card reader 266 for reading playeridentifying information stored on a player tracking card. As usedherein, the term player identifying information denotes any informationor compilation of information that uniquely identifies a player. In thepresent embodiment, the identifying information is a playeridentification (ID) number. Although not so limited, the player trackingcard of the present embodiment stores the player ID on a magnetic striplocated thereon. Such a magnetic strip and device to read theinformation stored on the magnetic strip are well known.

The player tracking device 260 also includes a display 262 and a playerinterface 264. The player interface 264 may include a keypad and/or atouchscreen display. In operation, as discussed below, the slot machine102 displays a message prompting the player to enter player selectedprice parameters. In the present embodiment, a player may enter theplayer selected price parameters via the player interface 264. Becausethe player interface 264 is part of the tracking device 260, it is,therefore, in communication with the CPU 210. Alternatively, input ofselected price parameters may be accomplished through video display area238 if it is configured with touch screen capabilities.

The slot machine 102 also includes a series of bet buttons 272, 274,276. The bet buttons include “Bet 1 coin” 272, “Bet 2 coins” 274, and“Bet 3 coins” 276. The bet buttons 272, 274, 276 are coupled to the CPU210. Therefore, pressing one transmits a signal to the CPU 210indicating how much a player is wagering on a given play.

The databases stored in the data storage device 224 include aprobability table 226, a calculation table 227, a payout table 228, aflat rate price package database 229, and a flat rate database 246. Asdiscussed in greater detail below, the flat rate database 246 and thecalculation table 227 store information related to the flat rate playsession and calculation of the flat rate price, respectively. The flatrate price package database 229 stores information describing differentpre-established flat rate packages as custom designed by the casino.

Also connected to the CPU 210 is a slot network interface 250. The slotnetwork interface 250 provides a communication path from the slotmachine 102 to slot network server 106 through the slot network 104.Thus, as discussed in greater detail below, information is communicatedamong the player tracking card, player tracking device 260, slot machine102, and slot network server 106.

In some embodiments, slot machine 102 may be embodied as a mobile gamingdevice, which may communicate wirelessly with one or more other devices(e.g., slot network server 106) as described below (e.g., via a wirelesscommunication protocol such as WiFi). Example mobile gaming devicesinclude “laptop” computers, cellular phones, personal digitalassistants, or any “handheld” electronic devices that may be configuredto perform gaming applications. For example, a small handheld computingdevice may be operable to (i) receive inputs from players (e.g., aplayer presses a button or area of a touch-screen as a command toexecute game play), (ii) generate and/or output game results (e.g., themobile gaming device may have its own RNG, or simply output outcomesthat have been determined and transmitted by a central server), (iii)receive funds (e.g., a signal is sent to the mobile gaming deviceauthorizing a particular credit balance), (iv) payout funds (e.g.,transmit funds to a player account), etc.

In one example, a mobile gaming device may comprise a “tablet PC” suchas the LS800 Tablet PC running Microsoft® Windows® XP Tablet PC Editiondeveloped by Motion Computing, Inc. of Austin, Tex. A description ofthis device, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes,is available for review on the Internet at:http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_ls.asp. In anotherexample, a mobile gaming device may comprise a handheld computing devicedeveloped by Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alt, Calif., such as theiPAQ hw6920 running Microsoft® Windows Mobile™ for Pocket PC. Adescription of this device, which is incorporated herein by referencefor all purposes, is available for review on the Internet at:http://www.cantorgaming.com/cgv2.html.

With reference to FIG. 2 b, the plan view of slot machine 102, will nowbe described below. FIG. 2 b depicts slot machine 102 displaying playerselected price parameter options on video display area 238. Included inthe displayed parameters is amount wagered per play 712, interval 714,duration of interval 722, and active pay combinations 720. As will bedescribed further below, after the player has selected the desired priceparameters, the slot machine 102 displays a flat rate price 724. Oncethe player has accepted the flat rate price and made the appropriatefunds available, play may commence.

The slot network server 106 will now be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 3. Like the slot machine 102 of FIG. 2, the slotnetwork server 106 has a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 310. The CPU 310,which has a clock 312 associated therewith, executes instructions of aprogram stored in Read Only Memory (ROM) 320. During execution of theprogram instructions, the CPU 310 temporarily stores information in theRandom Access Memory (RAM) 330.

Additionally, the CPU 310 is coupled to a data storage device 340,having a flat rate database 246, transaction processor 342 and a casinoplayer database 344. In general, the transaction processor 342 managesthe contents of the data storage devices 340. As discussed in detailbelow, the casino player database 344 stores information specific toeach player, including player identifying information.

In order to communicate with the slot machines 102, the slot networkserver 106 also includes a communication port 350. The communicationport 350 is coupled to the CPU 310 and a slot machine interface 360.Thus, the CPU 310 can control the communication port 350 to receiveinformation from the data storage device 340 and RAM 330 and transmitthe information to the slot machines 102 and vice versa.

It is to be understood that because the slot machines 102 are incommunication with the slot network server 106, information stored in aslot machine 102 may be stored in the server 106 and vice versa. Thus,for example, in an alternate embodiment, the server 106 rather than theslot machine 102 includes the payout table 228, flat rate database 246,and/or calculation table 227.

The casino player database 344 of the present embodiment, as shown inFIG. 4, includes multiple records having multiple fields of information.Specifically, the casino player database 344 comprises multiple records,each record being associated with a particular player, as identified bya player identification (ID) number. The fields within each recordinclude: player identification (ID) number 410, social security number412, name 414, address 416, telephone number 418, credit card number420, credit balance 422, complimentary information, such as totalaccumulated complimentary points 424, whether the player is a hotelguest 426, player status rating 428, and value of interval remaining430. Having information related to one field, such as player ID 410,allows the slot network server 106 to retrieve all information stored incorresponding fields of that player record.

It is to be understood that not all of these identifying fields arenecessary for operation of the present embodiment. For example, the name414, social security number 412, address 416, telephone number 418,credit card number 420, and hotel guest 426 fields are merelyrepresentative of additional information that may be stored and used forother purposes. In one embodiment, credit card number 420 and hotelguest 426 are used for billing purposes and social security number 412is used to generate tax forms when a player wins a jackpot over a givenamount.

Complimentary points awarded 424 is further illustrative of additionalinformation a casino may store in a player's record. As described below,a player's complimentary points are displayed to the player when aplayer tracking card is inserted into the slot machine 102. In analternate embodiment, such points may be used in addition, or as analternative to the credit balance 422 stored in RAM 218 of slot machine102.

The player status rating 428 contains information representative of theparticular player's relative importance to the casino, as based upon thefrequency and duration of the player's visits, the amount of moneywagered, and the like.

The value of interval remaining field 430 stores the value of intervalremaining in a flat rate play session when a player terminates the playsession prior to its expiration. This field will be described in greaterdetail below.

The flat rate database 246 will now be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 5. The flat rate database 246 comprises multiplerecords, each record pertaining to the flat rate play session of aparticular player, as identified by that player's ID number.Consequently, one field in flat rate database 246 is the player IDnumber field 510. Other fields include: player selected price parameters512, flat rate price 514, interval remaining 516, time audit data 518,and machine identification (ID) number field 520. The machine ID numberfield 520 contains the machine ID number that uniquely identifies theslot machine 102. It is to be understood that since both the casinoplayer database 244 and the flat rate database 246 include a player IDfield, 410 and 510, respectively, the system 100 can correlate anyplayer information stored in the casino player database 344, with anyplayer information stored in the flat rate database 246.

The payout table 228 will now be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the payout table 228 of thepresent embodiment can be logically represented by five fields ofrelated information. The first field, a pay combination field 610,identifies the set of possible pay combinations for a given slot machine102. Such possible pay combinations include winning pay combinations, orthose in which a payout results, and non-winning pay combinations, inwhich the player receives no payout and consequently loses the amountwagered. Winning pay combinations include, for example, “DOUBLEJACKPOT-DOUBLE JACKPOT-DOUBLE JACKPOT” and “BAR-BAR-BAR.” The paycombinations field 610 also includes a “NON-WINNING OUTCOMES” record, anentry representing the outcomes which result in no payout to the player,such as “PLUM-BELL-ORANGE.”

The payout table 228 also includes three payout fields 620, 630, 640.Such payout fields 620, 630, 640 contain the payout information for eachof the possible pay combinations identified in the pay combinationsfield 610. Each of the payout fields 620, 630, 640 is identified by thenumber of coins wagered on a particular play, as selected via the betbuttons 272, 274, 276. In the present embodiment, payout table 228contains a “1 coin” payout field 620, which is accessed when one coin iswagered, a “2 coins” payout field 630, which is accessed when two coinsare wagered, and a “3 coins” payout field 640, which is accessed whenthree coins are wagered. In other words, each field 620, 630, 640corresponds to a bet button 272, 274, 276, respectively. The payoutinformation provides the number of coins won upon the occurrence of aparticular pay combination. Thus, “CHERRY-CHERRY-CHERRY” pays out tencoins when one coin is wagered.

Finally, the payout table 228 of the present embodiment includes a paycombination status field 650. The pay combination status field 650includes an indication for each winning pay combination, identified inthe pay combination field 610, of whether the player is eligible to winthe payout for each outcome. As will be described below, thedetermination of whether a player is eligible to win a payout for agiven outcome is made by the player as part of the player selected priceparameters.

The calculation table 227 will now be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 7. The calculation table 227 is used by the system 100in determining the flat rate price 724 (field 514 in the flat ratedatabase 246) charged to the player. Specifically, the calculation table227 contains multiple price parameters which are correlated to a flatrate price 724. More specifically, these price parameters include playerselected price parameters and operator selected price parameters. Ingeneral, player selected price parameters include any game relatedvariable that defines the flat rate play session. Furthermore, operatorselected price parameters are parameters which the operator of the slotmachines 102 selects as affecting the flat rate price 724. Thus, in thepresent embodiment, the player selected price parameters in thecalculation table 227 include machine type 710, amount wagered per play712, active pay combinations 720, and length of the flat rate playsession 722. The operator selected price parameters in the calculationtable 227 include player status rating 714, time of day 716, day of theweek 718, and machine usage 719. In the present embodiment the flat rateprice 724 is predetermined based upon the aforementioned priceparameters and stored in the calculation table 227, as will be describedlater in FIGS. 14 and 15. In an alternate embodiment the flat rate price724 is calculated based upon these parameters as needed according to aprice algorithm stored in memory. For example, the price algorithm mayoperate as follows:

Algorithm for Calculating a Flat Rate Price.

The are any number of algorithms that could be used to calculate a flatrate price, and they can be generally described as calculating anexpected value to the customer and then adding in a margin for thecasino or adjusting the price to reflect the time of day, value of thecustomer, etc.

The first step is to determine a “base” flat rate price. This would becalculated as follows:

Base Price=[(amount wagered)×(interval)]×[(expected coins awarded forall active pay combinations over a cycle/expected coin-in over acycle)].

For example, the following Base Price calculation represents a playerselecting three dollar coins per handle pull, an interval of 500 handlepulls, and the top three pay combinations active. For this example wewill assume that a complete cycle of the slot machine is 10,648 uniqueoutcomes and that the top three pay combinations would pay 2,160 coinsover that cycle. Note also that the expected coins awarded for allactive pay combinations over a cycle and the expected coin-in over thecycle should both reflect the same number of coins wagered. Essentially,this ratio reflects the expected monetary return to the payer on a percoin wagered basis. When multiplied by the amount wagered and the numberof handle pulls the number reflects the amount of money that the playerwould be expected to receive from the machine over the intervalspecified. It should be notes that this amount of money is notnecessarily the number of coins entered by the player but rather is thetheoretical number of coins of play allowed by the flat rate session.Continuing with the calculation:

$\quad\begin{matrix}{{{Base}\mspace{14mu} {Price}} = {\left\lbrack {({\$ 3}) \times (500)} \right\rbrack \times \left\lbrack \left( {2\text{,}{160/10}\text{,}648} \right) \right\rbrack}} \\{= {{\$ 1}\text{,}500 \times {.202855}}} \\{= {{\$ 304}{.28}}}\end{matrix}$

Note that if the player were to pay this Base Price he would beessentially getting a fair bet for his money. He would pay $304.28 forthe session and expect (over the long run) to get $304.28 back in prizemoney from the top three active pay combinations. Of course in the shortrun his results could range from receiving no payouts over the intervalto receiving thousands of dollars. Because this base price is a fair betfor the player the casino may want to add in margin for the house,perhaps by multiplying the base price by a predetermined margin factorsuch as 50%. In this example the Profit Adjusted Price would thus be:

$\quad\begin{matrix}{{{Profit}\mspace{14mu} {Adjusted}\mspace{14mu} {Price}} = {{\$ 304}{.28} \times 150\%}} \\{= {{\$ 456}{.42}}}\end{matrix}$

Of course the casino might want to offer flat rate sessions to playerswithout a casino markup under some circumstances, such as part of apromotional package or to reward a particularly loyal customer. In factthe casino might even decrease the base price in some circumstances.

The Base Price or (Profit Adjusted Price) could be further modified byvarious other operator price parameters such as the following:

1. Time of Day (TD).

Times of the day in which the casino traffic tends to be heavy shouldresult in the player paying a premium for the flat rate session, whilequiet times in the casino should offer the player a discount over normalrates.

Midnight to 4am 70% 4am to 8am 80% 8am to 12pm 90% 12pm to 4pm 100% 4pmto 8pm 120% 8pm to Midnight 140%

2. Day of Week (DW).

With the heaviest volume of visitors falling on Fridays and Saturdays,these days will necessitate higher flat rate session costs. For example:

Monday to Thursday  80% Friday 120% Saturday 140% Sunday 100%

3. Player Status Rating (PSR).

For top customers such as high rollers, the cost of a flat rate sessionmay be reduced as a customer retention tool. For example:

1 (High Roller) 80% 2 (Good customer) 90% 3 (Average) 100% 4 (Low) 120%

4. Slot Machine Usage (SMU).

When the majority of slot machines in the casino are being used, apremium is applied to the cost of the flat rate play session in order tomore evenly distribute play. For example:

Heavy 120% Moderate 100% Light  80%

Sample Calculation.

In addition to the above player selected price parameters, the followingoperator selected parameters are incorporated into the price: The playeris in the casino at 2 am on a Wednesday, there is low slot machineusage, and the player has an average rating. The calculations belowreflect these conditions:

Base  Price = $304.28 $\quad\begin{matrix}{{{Final}\mspace{14mu} {flat}\mspace{14mu} {rate}\mspace{14mu} {price}} = {\left( {{Base}\mspace{14mu} {Price}} \right) \times {TD} \times {DW} \times {PSR} \times {SMU}}} \\{= {{\$ 304}{.28} \times 70\% \times 80\% \times 100\% \times 80\%}} \\{= {{\$ 304}{.28} \times 44.8\%}} \\{= {{\$ 136}{.32}}}\end{matrix}$

The casino may round up this price to $137 to avoid the need for smallchange. In the above calculations, the casino might also incorporatefloors which prevent the Base Price from going below a level that wouldbe profitable for the house, regardless of the number of positivecriterion that were applied to the base price.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that modificationscould be made to the formula to reflect different kinds of flat ratesessions. For a session with an interval of one hour (instead of a fixednumber of handle pulls) the formula might reflect an expected number ofhandle pulls per hour for that particular game, perhaps even adjusted toreflect the type of player purchasing the flat rate session. Forexample, an experienced video poker player might be expected to reach700 hands per hour while a beginner might only be expected to reach 300hands per hour.

As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, the ultimategoal of many slot machine players is to hit a jackpot payout. Theenjoyment of the play, as well as the ability to maximize the chance ofhitting a large jackpot, is increased by more play. Play can beincreased both by playing longer, and by playing faster. As will beappreciated from a consideration of the process described below, thepresent invention permits both increased duration, by providing for playat discounted prices, and speed of play, by providing for minimal timedelays between plays.

The flat rate price package database 229 will now be described ingreater detail with reference to FIG. 14. The flat rate price packagedatabase 229 is used by the system 100 in providing the player withdifferent price package options for flat rate play of the slot machine100. Specifically, the flat rate price package database 229 containsmultiple combinations, or packages 1410, of price parameters whichcorrespond to pre-established flat rate prices. More specifically, theseprice parameters include but are not limited to, interval 1412, durationof flat rate play 1414, amount wagered per play 1416, and paycombination status 1418. Each combination of price parameters hascorresponding flat rate play session prices 1420. As will be describedlater in FIG. 15, the flat rate price package database 229 is accessedwhen the player determines he wishes to initiate a flat rate playsession. Rather than let the player choose the price parameters, theslot machine 100 lists the different packages stored in the flat rateprice package database 229. The player then chooses the package he likesthe most and play commences.

Having thus described the components of the present embodiment, theoperation of the system 100 will now be described in greater detail withreference to FIGS. 8-11, and continuing reference to FIGS. 1-7. It is tobe understood that the programs stored in ROM 320 of the slot networkserver 106 and ROM 216 of the slot machine 102 provide the functiondescribed below.

Turning first to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, the general operation of the system100 will be described. As shown in step 810, the slot machine playerfirst inserts the player tracking card into the card reader 266. Thecard reader 266 then proceeds to read player identifying informationfrom the tracking card. The player identifying information, namely theplayer ID number, is communicated from the slot machine 102 to the slotserver 106 in step 812.

Upon receiving the player identifying information, the slot networkserver 106 verifies the information in step 814. Such verificationincludes the slot network server 106 searching the casino playerdatabase 344 for a record containing the received player ID number inthe appropriate field 410. Once the slot network server 106 verifies theplayer identifying information, the server 106 transmits a signal to theslot machine 102 acknowledging such verification in step 816. Inalternate embodiments, other information, such as the player's name 414,complimentary point total 424, and player status rating 428 aretransmitted to the slot machine 102 for display.

In step 818, the player selects flat rate play via the player interface264. The CPU 210 of slot machine 102, in step 820, then receives asignal from the player interface 264, indicating that the player hasselected flat rate play. For example, there could be a buttonspecifically for triggering a flat rate play session. The CPU 210, inresponse, accesses memory to retrieve player selectable priceparameters. Player selectable price parameters are the choices availableto a player for entering the player selected price parameters. Theseplayer selectable price parameters are controlled by a program stored inROM 216. Such player selectable price parameters, in the presentembodiment, include the amount wagered per play, (e.g. one, two, orthree coins), the length of the flat rate play session, and possiblejackpot structures, such as having only the “DOUBLE JACKPOT” and “5 BAR”jackpots active (as illustrated in the payout table 228 of FIG. 6). Inan alternate embodiment, the player selectable price parameters arestored as part of the calculation table 227.

Then, as shown in step 822, the slot machine 102 displays the playerselectable price parameters to the player. For example, the parameterscould be listed on the video display area 238 for the player, asdescribed previously in FIG. 2 b. Once the parameters appear, the playersimply selects his desired settings. Alternatively, the player mayaccept one or more default settings. Once the player selectable priceparameters are displayed on the display 238, the player proceeds, instep 824, to enter player selected price parameters via the playerinterface 264. The player selected price parameters also include datawhich, although not directly inputted by the player, is selected by theplayer and identified by the slot machine 102. In the presentembodiment, such additional player selected price parameters includetype of machine, time of day, and day of the week.

It is to be understood that the casino operator of the slot machines 102may define the scope of the player selectable price parameters, andtherefore limit the player selected price parameters in any manner. Forexample, the length of flat rate play may be limited to periods above aminimum time or to periods that are multiples of thirty minuteintervals. The jackpot structure may require that some jackpots remainactive.

Referring now to FIG. 8 b, the slot machine 102 CPU 210 receives theplayer selected price parameters in step 826. Having received the playerselected parameters, the CPU 210 then stores the player selected priceparameters, the player identifying information, and the slot machine'smachine ID number in a record in the flat rate database 246.Specifically, the player ID number is stored in field 510, the machineID number is stored in field 520, and the player selected priceparameters are stored in field 512. Although the player selected priceparameters are illustrated as being stored in a single field (512), itis to be understood that each player selected price parameter may bestored in a separate field. It is also to be understood that inalternate embodiments the player selected price parameters need not bestored in a database, but could be stored in RAM 218.

The slot machine 102 CPU 210 uses the player selected price parametersto determine the flat rate prices. Specifically, in step 828, the CPU210 accesses the calculation table 227 and searches for the flat rateprice 724 corresponding to the received player selected price parameters512, which, in the present embodiment, include machine type 710, amountwagered per play 712, time of day 716, day of the week 718, activejackpots 720, and the length of the flat rate play session 722. The CPU210 also incorporates operator selected price parameters for the flatrate price 724 such as player status rating 714 and machine availability719. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the player statusrating 714 is received from the casino player database 344 at any timeprior to determination of the flat rate price 724. Thus, in a preferredembodiment, the slot network server 106 transmits the player statusrating 428 to the slot machine 102 along with the verification signal instep 816.

By including the player status rating 714 in the calculation table 277,a casino may reward frequent players who wager relatively large amountsof money with a lower flat rate price 724. Thus, the system 100 rewardsand encourages frequent play. By including active jackpots 720 in thecalculation table 348, the system 100 allows a casino to discount theflat rate price 724 for those players who choose to enable relativelyfew winning outcomes in the payout table 228. Furthermore, by includingthe price parameters relating to time of day and day of the week in thecalculation table 227, a casino may charge a lower flat rate price 724for sessions during weekday afternoons or between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00a.m. in the mornings, thereby encouraging play of the slot machines 102when they are typically idle.

It is to be understood that the aforementioned price parameters in thecalculation table 227 are merely representative of the type of variablesthat may be considered in determining a flat rate price. Thus, it iswithin the scope of the present invention to include only some of theprice parameters, all of the parameters, or additional parameters in thecalculation table 227.

As mentioned above, the flat rate price may be based partly upon theavailability of slot machines 102. In such an embodiment, the server 106tracks whether each slot machine 102 is being used by noting whetheroutcomes are currently being received from a given slot machine 102. Inanother embodiment, the server 106 tracks slot machine availability bytabulating the number of slot machines 102 for which flat rate play iscurrently enabled. In yet another embodiment, the server 106 tracks slotmachine availability by identifying how many slot machines 102 have aplayer tracking card inserted therein.

Another price parameter which may be used is predicted or forecastedslot machine availability. Specifically, such a parameter accounts foranticipated availability of slot machines 102 based upon events at thecasino. For example, the calculation table 227 correlates a lower flatrate price 724 to the time of day 716 corresponding to an event, such asa show which many casino players attend. On the other hand, thecalculation table 227 correlates a higher flat rate price to the time ofday 716 corresponding to the end of the event or heavier casino traffic.This enables a casino to effectively revenue manage their slot machineswithout resorting to a change in hold percentage which requiresregulatory approval.

It is to be understood that accounting for slot machine availabilityneed not be accomplished in the calculation table 227. Rather, in analternate embodiment, a schedule of events is stored in RAM 218 which isaccessed prior to transmitting the flat rate price 724 to the player. Ifthe event schedule indicates that an event is ending during therequested flat rate play session, then the flat rate price 724 will beincremented accordingly.

In another embodiment, the flat rate price is based only on operatorselected price parameters. A slot machine 102 according to such anembodiment could, for example, provide discounted flat rate playsessions based on player status rating, thereby offering 100 plays forthe price of 90 or discounted timed sessions. To encourage repeat, highstakes play, higher player status ratings result in greater discounts.

Having determined the flat rate price 724, the slot machine 102, in step830, displays the duration of the flat rate play session 722 and theflat rate price 724 and requests approval from the player. Once theplayer accepts the terms of the flat rate play session, flat rate playcommences.

If the player does not approve the flat rate price 724, then the playerindicates so via the player interface 264. As indicated by path A inFIGS. 8 a and 8 b, the slot machine 102 repeats its operation from step822. On the other hand, if the player approves the flat rate price 724,the player indicates such approval via the player interface 264 in step832. Following such approval, the slot machine 102 prompts the player toenter an appropriate amount of money in step 834. In the presentembodiment, the player deposits coins into the coin acceptor 248. In oneembodiment, the player deposits a casino token as payment for the flatrate session. Such tokens may be denominated in dollars, or represent anumber of handle pulls. A casino could thus sell a fifty handle pulltoken, usable on a particular denomination and/or type of machine. Sucha token may additionally serve to activate the flat rate session,eliminating the need for the player to select flat rate play via playerinterface 264. Alternatively, the player's credit balance 422 may bedebited to pay for the flat rate play session.

In some embodiments a casino token may be associated with a particularset of pay combinations which are to be active during a flat rate playsession activated via the token. In yet other embodiments a casino tokenmay be associated with (i) a specified duration of time, (ii) aspecified number of handle pulls or outcomes, (iii) a specified numberof winning handle pulls or outcomes, and/or (iv) a flat rate pricepackage as, for example, described with reference to the flat rate pricepackage database 299 of FIG. 14. A gaming device may identify such atoken and enter the appropriate flat rate play session by, for example,the size and/or weight of the token or by reading or receivinginformation from the token (e.g. via a computer chip embedded in thetoken or special markings on the token). Such a casino token may be, forexample, purchased by a person and given to another person as a gift.The recipient may subsequently use the token by inserting it into anappropriate gaming device and essentially playing for “free” (since theperson that gave the gift had prepaid for the token) for a specifiedduration.

Once the CPU 210 registers the receipt of money, the CPU 210reconfigures the slot machine 201 for the flat rate play session in step836. Specifically, the CPU 210 generates a signal, or a flag in memory,indicating that there is no need to accept the coins between plays. CPU210 further sets the active field 650 in the payout table 228 accordingto the jackpot structure entered by the player.

The operation of the slot machine 102 during the flat rate play sessionwill now be described with reference to FIG. 9 and continuing referenceto FIGS. 1-7. During the flat rate play session, a slot machine 102operates generally as described above with reference to FIG. 2. However,the slot machine 102 is reconfigured to operate according to the playerselected price parameters, if such parameters affect play, and tooperate continuously, without requiring payment between each play.Specifically, the flat rate play session begins when the player pressesthe starting controller 222 in step 910. The CPU 210 also initiates acountdown of the length of the flat rate play session as stored in theplayer selected parameters field 512 of the flat rate database 246. Withthe start of the session, the CPU 210 stores the start time of the flatrate play session in the flat rate database 246. Specifically, the starttime is stored in the time audit data field 520 in step 912. In step914, the CPU 210 begins to count down the duration of the flat rate playsession. Next, in step 916, the slot machine 102 generates an outcomeand accesses payout table 228 to determine the appropriate correspondingnumber of coins to be paid out.

Furthermore, in step 918, after each outcome is generated, the slotmachine 102 determines whether the countdown of the interval remaining516 has reached zero. It is to be understood that the countdown may beimplemented in either software or hardware. Additionally, it isunderstood that the countdown process discussed herein may be replacedwith any suitable means for tracking the duration of the flat rate playsession. Interval remaining 516 may also represent the number of handlepulls remaining.

In the event that the countdown has not reached zero, the player pressesthe starting controller 222 in step 920, thereby initiating another playof the slot machine 102. In the event that the countdown has reachedzero, the CPU 210 generates a signal indicating that the flat rate playsession has concluded. The slot machine 102 displays a messageindicating this to the player and, in step 922, stores the end time ofthe session in the time audit data field 518 of the flat rate database.

In an alternate embodiment, the player selected price parameters includethe “time between plays.” In this embodiment, the CPU 210 of slotmachine 102 controls the time between generating outcomes of successiveplays in the slot machine 102 to equal the received “time between plays”player selected price parameter. In another alternate embodiment, theslot machine 102 tracks the number of plays during the flat rate playsession. If the number of plays exceeds a predetermined limit, the slotmachine 102 automatically terminates the flat rate play session,regardless of the duration of the flat rate play session.

Turning now to FIG. 10, the operation of the system 100 when the playerterminates the flat rate play session prior to the expiration of thesession will be described. In step 1010, the player indicates a desireto terminate the flat rate play session via the player interface 264.Consequently, the slot machine 102 CPU 210 receives a termination signaland, in step 1012, displays a message to the player, asking the playerto verify termination of the flat rate play session. If the player doesnot verify termination, then the session continues as described abovewith reference to FIG. 9. On the other hand, if the player verifiestermination, shown as step 1014, the CPU 210 proceeds to store the stoptime in the time audit data field 518 of the flat rate database 246 instep 1016.

It is to be understood that having both the start time and the stop timeof the flat rate play sessions stored in the flat rate database 246allows the casino to perform an audit of the session. Specifically,should a player allege that the flat rate play session was shorter thanthat which was paid for, the casino may access the flat rate database246 and retrieve the actual start and stop time from the time audit datafield 520. In the present embodiment, this time includes an indicationof the day, hour, and minute of the play session.

Next, in step 1018, CPU 210 determines the value of the intervalremaining in the flat rate play session and transmits the value to theserver 106. In order to determine the value of the interval remaining,the CPU 210 accesses the calculation table 227. The value of intervalremaining will equal the flat rate price 724 corresponding to the priceparameters (i.e., the machine type 710, amount wagered per play 712,player status rating 714, time of day 716, etc.) used to determine theoriginal flat rate price charged to the player. When determining thevalue of the interval remaining, however, the value in the length offlat rate play session field 722 is not the original length of thesession, but rather is equal to the actual interval remaining in theflat rate play session. Stated succinctly, the slot machine 102identifies the flat rate price 724 corresponding to the actual intervalremaining in the flat rate play session.

Once the value of interval remaining is determined, the slot machine 102transmits the value to the slot network server 106. Upon receiving thevalue of interval remaining, the server 106 stores the value in field430 of the casino player database 344 in the player's record, asidentified by the player ID number 410. Storing the value is shown asstep 1020. Finally, in step 1022, the player removes the player trackingcard.

The process of resuming play at another slot machine 102 will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 11 a and 11 b. The initial operationof the system 100, as indicated by steps 1110-1128, proceeds generallyas described above with reference to steps 810-828 of FIGS. 8 a and 8 b.

However, once the CPU 210 of slot machine 102 determines a new flat rateprice based on the relevant price parameters, the CPU 210 determineswhether the player must deposit additional funds.

Specifically, in step 1130, the CPU 210 compares the new flat rate price724 with the value of interval remaining 430. The server 106 transmitsthe value of interval remaining 430, as stored in the casino playerdatabase 344, to the slot machine 102 in step 1116 so that thecomparison may be performed. As indicated by step 1132, the comparisoninvolves determining whether the new flat rate price 724 is higher thanthe value of interval remaining 430.

If the new price 724 is not higher than the value of interval remaining430, then, in step 1134, the slot machine allows the player to play theflat rate session at no cost. However, if the new flat rate price 724 ishigher than the value of interval remaining 430, then, in step 1136, theCPU 210 assigns the difference in the two values as the new flat rateprice. Thus, in step 1138, the CPU 210 displays the new flat rate priceon the video display area 238 of the slot machine 102. Thereafter,operation of the system continues as described above with reference tosteps 832-836 of FIG. 8 b.

In an alternate embodiment, when a player terminates the flat ratesession early, the value of the interval remaining is added to theplayer's credit balance, as stored in field 422 of the casino playerdatabase 344.

It is to be understood that an embodiment of the present invention neednot include both a slot machine and slot network server. For example, anembodiment employing only a slot machine 102 is within the scope of thepresent invention. Such an embodiment will now be described withreference to FIGS. 12 a, 12 b, and 13, and continuing reference to FIGS.2, 5, and 7. Such an embodiment utilizes the slot machine 102 of FIG. 2.

Initially, the player selects flat rate play on the slot machine 102 instep 1210. Once the player selects flat rate play, the flat rate playsignal is transmitted from the player interface 264 to the CPU 210 instep 1212. The CPU 210 then proceeds, in step 1214, to retrieve theplayer options for selectable price parameters. Then, in step 1216, theCPU 210 transmits the player selectable price parameter options to thevideo display area 238 for viewing.

Once the player selectable price parameter options have been displayedto the player, the player inputs the player selected price parametersthrough the player interface 264. Then, in step 1220, the CPU 210receives the player selected price parameters from the player interface264.

Once the CPU 210 receives the player selected price parameters, the CPU210 reconfigures the slot machine 102. Specifically, the CPU 210generates a signal, or a flag in memory, indicating that there is noneed to accept the coins between plays. CPU 210 further sets the paycombination status field 650 in the payout table 228 according to thejackpot structure entered by the player. In an alternate embodiment inwhich the player selectable price parameters include the time betweenthe handle pulls, the CPU 210 sets an internal timer.

Furthermore, once the slot machine 102 CPU 210 receives the playerselected price parameters, it proceeds to access the calculation table227. By accessing the calculation table 227, the CPU 210 retrieves theflat rate price for the flat rate play session. Retrieving the flat rateprice is shown as step 1224. Once the CPU 210 retrieves the flat rateprice, it proceeds to transmit the price, the length of the flat rateplay session, and payment instructions to the video display area 238 forplayer viewing in step 1226.

In step 1228, the player reads the data and instructions on the videodisplay area 238 and inserts money into the coin acceptor 248 or a billacceptor (not shown) in order to initiate play of the slot machine 102.In an alternate embodiment, the player enters a stored value card suchas a “smart card” into the card reader 266. Such a smart card has theplayers credit balance stored thereon. Payment using a smart cardfurther entails the CPU 210 debiting the player's balance on the smartcard by the amount of the flat rate price. Further, the player may entera credit card into the card reader 266.

In step 1230, the CPU 210 generates a confirmed payment messageindicating that the player has deposited sufficient funds to cover theflat rate price. Consequently, the CPU 210, in step 1232, sends thecurrent time to both the video display area 238 and the time audit field518 of flat rate database 246. Next, in step 1234, the CPU 210 initiatesthe countdown of the interval remaining in the flat rate play session asstored in field 516. The length of the flat rate play session receivedfrom the player is initially stored in field 516. The slot machine 102decrements, or counts down, this value as the flat rate play sessionbegins.

As shown in step 1236, the flat rate play session continues inaccordance with the player selected price parameters, if such parametersaffect play, in step 1236. During such play, the CPU 210 stores andupdates the player's accumulated credits in RAM 218. In an alternateembodiment, the slot machine pays out jackpots as they occur. Finally,in step 1238, the CPU 210 terminates the flat rate play session when thecountdown ends.

In an alternate embodiment, the interval of the flat rate play sessionis not a time period, but rather is a maximum number of plays. In suchan embodiment, the slot machine 102 stores the number of plays in theflat rate database 246, as described previously in FIG. 9, and, in step916, increments a counter for each outcome generated. The counter may beimplemented in either software or hardware. Furthermore, in step 918,the slot machine 102 compares the number of plays stored in the flatrate database 246 to the value of the counter. If the value of thecounter equals the stored number of plays, then the flat rate playsession is terminated.

Turning now to FIG. 13, the process of receiving a payout from thepresent embodiment will be described. As shown as step 1310, the flatrate play session ends upon the termination of the countdown.Specifically, as shown in step 1312, the slot machine 102 CPU 210terminates the flat rate play session by reconfiguring the slot machine102 to its default values. For example, the CPU 210 resets the paycombination status field 650 in the payout table 228 to reflect theoriginal jackpot structure. The CPU 210 also generates a signalindicating that coins must be received for each play. In short, theplayer selected price parameters are no longer in effect.

In step 1314, the CPU 210 checks the total credits accumulated, asstored in the RAM 218, and transmits a payout command to the hoppercontroller 240. Consequently, in step 1316, the slot machine 102 paysout the total number of credits to the player.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 15. The operation of slot machine 100, asindicated by steps 1510-1524 below, proceeds generally as described withreference to FIG. 14. In this embodiment, the player selects from a listof casino determined price packages, rather than choosing individualprice parameters. Each price package, as stored in the flat rate pricepackage database 229 described above, is a combination of differentprice parameters which correspond to a flat rate play session price.

In step 1510, the player presses a “flat rate play” button on the slotmachine 100. The slot machine 102 CPU 210 receives flat rate play signalfrom the player interface 264 in step 1512. In this case, the playerinterface is an actual “flat rate play” button located on the outside ofthe slot machine 100. Next, in step 1514, the CPU 210 access flat rateprice package database 229 from data storage device 224. The CPU 210then displays the player selectable price packages on video display area238 in step 1516. It is to be understood that the CPU 210 need notdisplay the packages on the video display area 238, as those packageoptions could be displayed elsewhere on the body of the slot machine100. Alternatively, player interface 264 could incorporate several “flatrate play” buttons, each representing a different flat rate pricepackage.

Next, in step 1518, the player selects the desired price package via theplayer interface 264. Having already seen what the price of the selectedpackage is, the player then deposits the appropriate amount of moneyinto coin acceptor 248 in step 1520. For example, the player may havechosen price package four which costs fifty dollars. In return for fiftydollars deposited into the slot machine, the player receives two hundredand fifty handle pulls, with three coins wagered per pull, and with thetop three jackpots active in his flat rate play session. Theseparameters are specified in the flat rate price package database 229.

In step 1522, the CPU 210 receives an indication of payment from thecoin acceptor 248 and reconfigures the parameters of slot machine 100 tomeet the specifications of the flat rate price package selected by theplayer. Finally, in step 1524, flat rate play begins.

It is noted that the flat rate price package database 229 could belocated at the slot network server 106 and not at each individual slotmachine 100. When it is located at the server, certain casino oroperator selected parameters could be used to determine the price. Forexample, there could be different flat rate price packages for differenttimes during the day which are based on projected or actual casinotraffic and/or slot machine usage.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the key stepin getting players to wager money on gaming devices, such as slotmachines, is to bring the players to the casino floor. One way in whichcasinos can bring additional players to the casino floor, and therebyincrease total revenues, is by giving away free samples or rewards witha minimum displacement of traditional pay-per-play players. The presentinvention may be employed for such a purpose.

In one embodiment, for example, the casino could declare a free-playperiod. During the free-play period, likely chosen by the casino tocorrespond to down time, when most gaming devices are idle, playersinsert their player tracking cards into the gaming devices and initiateplay without being charged. Specifically, the casino programs thecalculation table 227 so that the flat rate price 724 is zero for agiven time of day 716 and day of the week 718. It is anticipated thatduring such a free-play period, the casino will alter the jackpotstructure, causing only a selected jackpot to be active. Thus, the lureof free jackpots will bring additional players to the casino floor whowill likely continue playing after the free-play period ends. A furtherbenefit of this embodiment is that it would encourage players to becomeslot club members. This would result in an increase of players whoreturn to the casino and the customer base which the casino markets tothrough mailings.

It is also to be understood that play of the slot machines during thefree-play period need not occur as described above. Thus, in analternate embodiment, the reels 232, 234, 236 of the slot machines 102continuously spin, regardless of whether a player has inserted atracking card, with the server 106 periodically signaling a jackpot on arandom machine. Only when a player has inserted a player tracking cardis the jackpot awarded. The server 106 randomly selects a machine IDnumber and, if the machine 102 is not being played by a pay-per-playplayer, the server 106 transmits a signal to that slot machine 102directing it to produce a winning outcome.

In an alternate embodiment that achieves substantially the same resultof attracting additional players to the floor during down times, thecasino issues guests a player tracking card or a smart card having apredetermined free credit balance associated therewith. The casino couldthen restrict the day and time in which the players could use the freecard in a flat rate play session. In another embodiment, the cardsprovided to guests contain an indication of time, rather than money, foruse during a flat rate play session.

Although the foregoing embodiments employ static jackpot structure,which stay the same throughout the flat rate play session, it is withinthe scope of the present invention to employ dynamic jackpot structures,which change during the flat rate play session. In one such embodiment,the dynamic jackpot structure starts with a given number of activejackpots, as indicated in the pay combination status field 650 of thepayout table 228. As the flat rate play session progresses, the numberof active jackpots changes. Specifically, as the interval remaining inthe flat rate play session decreases, fewer pay combinations are madeactive. In other words, the slot machine 102 CPU 210 monitors the timeand, every fifteen minutes, for example, causes the pay combinationstatus field 650 to change from “active” to “inactive” for a given paycombination 610. Alternatively, the CPU 210 changes the pay combinationstatus field 650 after a predetermined number of plays. In a furthervariation of this embodiment, individual jackpots may be decreasedinstead of or in addition to being eliminated (e.g. the jackpot for aparticular outcome may decrease from 10 coins to 8 coins as the playsession progresses).

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a dynamic jackpotstructure based on the time progression of the flat rate play sessioncan increase the revenue generated by the slot machines 102.Specifically, such a dynamic jackpot structure could be used with a flatrate play session whose duration is not a fixed time, but rather a givennumber of plays. Because fewer jackpots will be active as timeprogresses, players have an incentive to use their fixed number of playswithin a short time period. Stated succinctly, the present inventionincreases speed of play.

In another embodiment, the jackpot structure is dynamic based not on theprogression of the flat rate play session, but rather on the outcomesgenerated by the slot machine 102. One such embodiment involves changinga particular jackpot from “active” to “inactive” upon a player hittingthe outcome corresponding to that pay combination. For example, a playermay begin the flat rate play session with all jackpots active. On oneplay, the slot machine 102 generates a “CHERRY-CHERRY-CHERRY” outcome610. Upon accessing the payout table 228, the CPU 210 determines thatten coins are to be paid out, credits the player's accumulated creditsaccordingly, and causes the pay combination status field 650corresponding to the “CHERRY-CHERRY-CHERRY” outcome 610 to change from“active” to “inactive”. Thus, a player can only hit a given jackpotonce. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such a dynamicjackpot structure will allow slot machine operators to further discountthe flat rate price to attract additional players. Furthermore, it isanticipated that players will be willing to forego hitting the samejackpot multiple times because their focus is typically on hitting thehighest jackpot once.

These and other dynamic jackpot structures may be implemented as eithera player selected price parameter or an operator selected priceparameter. When implemented as a player selected price parameter, thedynamic jackpot structure is displayed to the player as a playerselectable price parameter option. The player, in turn, selects it viathe player interface 264. When implemented as an operator selected priceparameter, the dynamic jackpot structure is displayed for player viewingprior to player approval of the flat rate price. Whether the priceparameters are selected by the player or the casino operator, thedynamic jackpot structure affects the flat rate price generally asdescribed above, namely, as a field in the calculation table 227 or as avariable in the price algorithm.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an individual may purchasea flat rate play session as a gift for another person. For example, anindividual may purchase one of the available flat rate price packages ofFIG. 14. In such an embodiment the individual purchasing a flat rateplay session may be provided with a flat rate play session identifier,which the purchase in turn provides to the gift recipient. The flat rateplay session identifier may be stored by the casino in association withthe price parameters defining the flat rate play session. Thus, when thegift recipient inserts the flat rate play session identifier into agaming device, the gaming device may communicate with the casino serverto determine the parameters of the flat rate play session and set itselfto such parameters. A flat rate play session identifier may be providedon, for example, a gift card that is magnetically or optically encodedwith the flat rate play session identifier such that it may be read by agaming device.

Contract Embodiment

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention a flat rateplay session may be purchased by means of a contract. According to suchembodiments a player at a casino may purchase a contract (e.g. from aninsurer, such as the casino or another entity) or similar agreement touse a gaming device, such as a slot machine. Costing a fixed amount, thecontract insures the player against the possibility of potentially largelosses at the slot machine. In accordance with one such embodiment, uponpurchasing the contract, a player credit account is set up at the slotmachine. The account may begin with zero credits but may begin withanother balance in other embodiments. The player is then allowed a fixednumber of handle pulls at the slot machine without requiring the playerto insert any money. Each handle pull decreases the player account,typically by decreasing the player account by a predetermined amount(e.g. one credit) for each handle pull. This may cause the number ofcredits to be negative, but play may still continue. If the playerachieves a winning outcome, credits can be added to the player accountin accordance with the payout for the winning outcome. If, after thefixed number of handle pulls, there are a positive number of credits inthe player account, then these may be paid out to the player in the formof cash. If, however, there are less than a predetermined amount ofcredits (e.g. zero credits) in the player account, then the playerreceives nothing. The insurer, however, could compensate the casino for,e.g., an amount in the player's account that is less than apredetermined number.

In such an embodiment, the player enjoys the fixed number of pullswithout the risk of any loss. The only loss for the player comes fromthe cost of the contract.

One aspect of this invention is a way to price a contract for a block ofpulls to be sold to a player. Pricing a contract may involve calculatingthe expected amount that would have to be paid a player upon thecompletion of the pulls. The price of the contract would then typicallybe greater than this expected amount so as to result in an expectedprofit possibly to be divided amongst the casino and, if it is aseparate entity, an insurer. For example, if a player could be expectedto receive $30 upon the completion of 1000 pulls, then the contract forthe block of 1000 pulls could by sold for $35.

The following definitions define the terms used to describe the contractembodiments of the present invention:

Contract indicator—an object or information by which a gaming device mayrecognize a contract in order to execute the contract. For example, aplayer purchases a contract at casino desk and receives a token thatserves as a contract indicator. When the player deposits the token in agaming device, the gaming device recognizes the contract the player hassigned up for and executes the contract accordingly.

Execute a contract—to carry out the terms of a contract. A gaming deviceexecutes a contract for 200 pulls by generating the 200 outcomes,incrementing and decrementing player credits in accordance with theoutcomes, and paying the player, if necessary, at the end of thecontract.

Gambling contract—An agreement between a player, an insurer, andsometimes a casino (e.g. if different than the insurer) with thefollowing exemplary provisions:

-   -   The player pays the insurer a fixed amount up front.    -   The player must make a predetermined number of handle pulls, no        more and no less.    -   The player need not pay any additional money after purchasing        the contract.    -   The player keeps any net winnings after all handle pulls have        been completed.    -   If the player has a net loss after the handle pulls have been        completed, then the loss is paid to the casino by the insurer.

There are many variants of these provisions, and additional provisionsare possible. As can be seen, the contract insures a player againstexcessive losses, and may give the player more handle pulls than wouldotherwise be possible for the price of the contract. Also, since theremay be no additional player decisions required after the player haspurchased the contract, the player need not be present for the executionof the contract and may therefore experience the feeling of remotegambling.

Gaming Device—Any electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical devicethat accepts wagers, steps through a process to determine an outcome,and pays winnings based on the outcome. The outcome may be randomlygenerated, as with a slot machine; may be generated through acombination of randomness and player skill, as with video poker; or maybe generated entirely through player skill. Gaming devices may includeslot machines, video poker machines, video blackjack machines, videoroulette machines, video keno machines, video bingo machines, and thelike. As described above, in some embodiments, a gaming device maycomprise a mobile computing device operable to facilitate such gameplay.

Gross winnings—the total of a player's winnings during the execution ofa contract without regard to wagers made by the player. For example, if,after five pulls of a contract, a player has attained one winningoutcome with a payout of 4 coins, and one winning outcome with a payoutof 20 coins, then the player's gross winnings thus far are 24 coins.Since gross winnings does not account for wagers a player makes, grosswinnings will always be larger than or equal to net winnings.

Handle pull—a single play at a gaming device, including video poker,video blackjack, video roulette, video keno, video bingo, and otherdevices. The definition is intended to be flexible in that a single playmight constitute a single complete game, or a single wager. For example,in video blackjack, a player might play a single game in which he splitsa pair of sevens, requiring an additional wager. This one game mightthereby constitute either one or two handle pulls.

Net winnings—the total of a player's winnings during the execution of acontract minus the amount spent by the player on wagers. In the examplecited under the definition of “gross winnings,” the net winnings are 19coins since the player has won 24 coins but used one coin as a wager oneach of the five pulls.

Turning now to a detailed description of the contract embodiments of thepresent invention, various aspects of such embodiments are set forthbelow.

Description of the Contract

A typical contract is an agreement between the insurer and a player. Theplayer agrees to pay a fixed amount of money up front. In return, theplayer may (or must) gamble at a gaming device for a designated amountof time or for a designated number of outcomes. After the player hasgambled the requisite amount, the player has the right to keep anywinnings that exceed a certain threshold. The player does not, however,pay any losses. Thus, one function of the contract is to insure theplayer against losses at a gaming device. There are many variations ofthe contract and a portion of these are described below.

Another function of the contract is to allow a player to play a largenumber of handle pulls without the need of a large bankroll. Forexample, a player wishing to make 600 pulls at a quarter slot machinewould ordinarily require $150 (25 cents×600) in order to assure himselfthe ability of completing the 600 pulls. However, a contract might allowa player to make 600 pulls by paying only $20.

In some embodiments, the contract does not involve an insurer. Thefunction of the contract may be to allow outcomes to be generated forthe player while the player is not physically present at the gamingdevice. In these embodiments, the contract may consist mainly ofinstructions from the player as to how the slot machine should gamble onthe player's behalf. For example, the instructions will tell the machinehow fast to gamble, when to quit, and then where to send winnings.

Amount of Play

A contract may place one or more of the following exemplary restrictionson play covered by the contract:

-   -   The player must make a minimum number of handle pulls.    -   The player may not make more than a maximum number of handle        pulls.    -   The player must play for a certain minimum time period.    -   The player must play for less than a certain maximum time        period.    -   The player must maintain a minimum rate of play.    -   The player may not exceed a maximum rate of play.    -   The total coin in over the course of the contract must exceed a        certain minimum amount.    -   The total coin in over the course of the contract must not        exceed a certain amount.    -   The player must play until obtaining a specified outcome.

Coin Denomination

A contract may specify the size of the wager for each pull. The wagersize may be the same as that typically used by the gaming device. Forexample, if a player signs up for a contract at a quarter slot machine,the wager for each pull of the contract might be a quarter. If the slotmachine offers multiple coin bets, the wager for each pull might be aquarter, 50 cents, 75 cents etc. The contract may allow or may force theplayer to vary the wager from pull to pull.

One aspect of a contract may allow all play to occur in “credit mode.”That is, the player need not physically insert money into the gamingdevice prior to each pull, and money needn't come out of the gamingdevice after a player win. Rather, a player's credit balance may bestored in a player database either in the gaming device or at the casinoserver. Every time the player then makes a handle pull, credits arededucted from the player's balance. Every time the player wins, creditsare added to the player's balance. The player's credit balance can bedisplayed on the device so that the player may track his progress.

Since play may occur in credit mode, each wager might consist of coindenominations that are not standard for the gaming device. For example,a device that typically handles quarters may accept wagers of a nickel,of 40 cents, or even of 12½ cents.

Winnings Threshold

A contract may describe some threshold of gross winnings, net winnings,or accumulated player credits above which the player keeps any excess.Gross winnings describes the accumulated player wins from each pull ofthe contract. Thus, a player who makes 600 pulls on a $1 slot machine aspart of a contract and wins $3 on each of 100 pulls has gross winningsof $300 ($3/pull×100 pulls). Net winnings are the gross winnings lessthe accumulated costs of wagering. In the above example, the accumulatedcosts of wagering are $600 ($1/pull×600 pulls). Thus, in the aboveexample, the player's net winnings would be negative $300 ($300−$600).Accumulated player credits may mirror a running tally of a player's netwinnings. For example, a player may begin with zero credits, withcredits deducted in the amount of any wager, and added in the amount ofany winnings. Accumulated player credits may also mirror a running tallyof gross winnings, or any other statistic about a player's performance.

At the end of a contract, a player's accumulated credits may be comparedto a threshold. The player may then receive a payout of any excessaccumulated credits above the threshold. For example, if the thresholdis zero, and the player has 44 credits, each credit representing 25cents, then the player receives a payout of $11 (44 credits×25cents/credit). If the player had −12 credits, indicating a net loss of12 credits, then the player receives nothing. The player does not owe $3because the contract does not make the player responsible for anylosses.

The threshold might be at 10 credits, in which case a player withaccumulated credits of 30 would receive a payout equivalent to 20credits at the end of a contract, and a player with 6 credits wouldreceive nothing. A threshold might be at −10 credits, in which case aplayer with accumulated credits of −6 would receive the equivalent of 4credits, while a player with −100 credits would receive nothing.

Rather than insuring against all of a player's losses, a contract mightinsure all losses up to a point and not beyond. Therefore, a contractmay have multiple thresholds, each with different functions. A playermay, for example, be responsible for any losses beyond a threshold lossof 100 credits. The same player might receive any winnings beyond athreshold of 10 accumulated credits. Thus, if, at the end of thecontract, the player has accumulated −125 credits, then the player mustpay 25 credits. If the player has accumulated 33 credits, then theplayer receives a 23 credit payout. If the player has accumulated −49credits, then the player neither owes nor receives anything.

In some embodiments, a threshold delineates a change in the percentageof a player's winnings or losses between credit tallies above and belowthe threshold. For example, a player might keep any credits won beyond athreshold of 50. Below 50 credits, the player only keeps 80% of hiswinnings. Therefore, if a player has 70 credits remaining at the end ofa contract, he keeps all 20 credits above 50, and he keeps an additional40 credits, representing 80% of the first 50 credits. Therefore, theplayer keeps 60 credits in total.

A player may also be responsible for a percentage of losses above orbelow a certain threshold. For example, a player may be responsible for50% of losses over 10 credits. Thus, a player who finishes a contractwith minus 20 credits owes nothing for the first 10 credits of loss, butowes 5 credits for the next 10 credits of loss. The player thereforeowes 5 credits.

In the most general sense, a contract specifies a functionalrelationship between what a player's accumulated credits are at the endof the contracted number of pulls, and what the player either owes or isdue. The function may be piece-wise linear, or may be rather non-linearand convoluted.

Where there is potential for a player to owe money at the end of acontract, the player may be required to deposit money into the gamingdevice in advance so as to prevent the player from walking away when heowes money. The advance payment may later be returned if the playerturns out to owe nothing at the end of the contract.

In many embodiments, a contract is transparent to the casino. In otherwords, if the player makes a certain number of pulls, the casino makesthe same amount of money whether or not the player happened to beinvolved in a contract. In these embodiments, however, a casino maycollect money that it makes (and the player has lost) from the insurer,rather than from the player. The casino may also act as an intermediaryin transactions between the player and the insurer. For example, thecasino may collect from the player money that is meant to pay for acontract. The casino may then transfer an equivalent amount of money tothe insurer.

In other embodiments, a contract is not completely transparent to thecasino. That is, the amount of money a casino receives after a certainnumber of the player's handle pulls may depend on whether or not theplayer was in a contract. In one example, a casino agrees that if aplayer's accumulated credits at the end of a contract are less than−200, then the casino will only collect 200 credits for the contract'shandle pulls. This example may benefit the insurer, since the insurerdoesn't have to worry about covering player losses in excess of 200credits. In another example, the casino configures a gaming device togive different odds to a player in contract play versus a player not incontract play.

Player Decisions

As mentioned previously, players may have some restrictions on the playcovered by the contract. For example, a contract may cover an hour'splay at a gaming device, but require the player to make between 600 and800 pulls in that hour. In some embodiments, however, contracts mayallow players to quit early or to play more than is otherwise covered bythe contract. For example, a contract might cover an hour's worth ofplay. After the first half-hour, the player may be ahead by $100 andwish to quit without risking the loss of the $100 in the subsequenthalf-hour. He may therefore opt to pay $20 in order to be released fromthe obligation of continuing the contract. He may then collect his $100in winnings.

A player at a gaming device may reach the end of a contract withaccumulated credits just short of an amount necessary to collectwinnings. However, the last 17 out of 20 pulls may have been wins forthe player. The player may feel as if he has some momentum going for himand therefore may not wish that the contract be finished. In someembodiments, the player may extend the contract. For example, the gamingdevice might prompt the player, saying, “For only $5 more, we'll giveyou another 200 spins added to your contract.” If the player accepts,then the casino or insurer has made a new sale with potentialprofitability. In some embodiments, the player may be allowed to extenda contract for free, or may even be paid to extend the contract. Forexample, the player may have winnings of $100 at the end of a contract.The casino, or insurer, may figure that if the player were to keeppulling, he would be likely to lose some of that $100. So the casino maypay the player $5 to take another 200 pulls.

In a related embodiment, a player may carry over the accumulated creditsfrom a first contract to a second contract. Thus, a player with 40accumulated credits at the end of a first contract may begin a secondcontract with 40 accumulated credits. The player may pay or be paid forcarrying over credits.

Price

In many embodiments, the player pays a fixed sum to buy the contract. Inexchange for that fixed sum, the player can then gamble a significantamount with little or no risk of losses. In many embodiments, theinsurer takes the risk of the player's loss. The insurer must thereforeprice the contract so as to be compensated for the risk it takes. Inother embodiments, the casino and the insurer share the profits andlosses associated with a contract. To ensure a profit to be dividedamongst the two, a contract may be priced in excess of a player'saverage win. Note that a player's loss would count as zero in figuringout the player's average win, since the player does not have to pay forlosses.

One method of pricing the contract involves first figuring out what theinsurer might expect to pay, on average, to cover a player's losses.Another method of pricing a contract involves first figuring out whatthe casino/insurer combination might expect to pay, on average, tocompensate a player for his winnings. Both methods involve similarcomputations. Therefore, computations will be described below withrespect to only one or the other method of pricing a contract.

Exemplary Price Computations

1) The insurer obtains the gaming device or a component of the gamingdevice containing significant information about the operation of thegaming device (e.g. the CPU). The insurer then operates the gamingdevice as a player would when under contract. For example, if theinsurer is to sell contracts for 600 pulls, the insurer would make 600handle pulls at the gaming device and record the number of accumulatedcredits at the end of the 600 pulls. The insurer may repeat this processof testing contracts at the device for a large number of trials. Theinsurer may then average what its payments would be over all the trials.Note that while it might take a player days or years to complete, say,100,000 contracts at a gaming device; the process may be sped up for theinsurer by giving the gaming device special instructions to generateoutcomes more rapidly. The performance of large number of trials in themanner described above is often called a Monte-Carlo simulation.

The following is an example of pricing a contract. Using the method ofpricing described above, an insurer simulates the execution of a600-pull contract. The insurer repeats the simulation four more times.After the first simulation, the player has won $10. After the second,the player has lost $5. After the third, the player has lost $17. Afterthe fourth, the player has lost $8. After the fifth, the player has won$3. To figure out what the insurer must pay, on average, the insureradds the three losses to get: $5+$17+$8=$30. The insurer then divides byfive, the number of simulations, to get: $30/5=$6. The insurer doesn'tcare, for the purposes of this calculation, how much the player won whenhe did win, since the casino is the one paying the player his winnings.Now, in order to obtain an average $4 profit, the insurer might charge$10 for each contract.

2) The insurer obtains or creates software that mirrors or models theoperation of the gaming device. For example, the software is configuredto generate the same outcomes as does the gaming device with the samefrequency as the gaming device. For each outcome generated, the softwaretracks what a player's accumulated credits would be. As before, theinsurer may simulate many contracts and average what its payments wouldbe over all the trials.3) The insurer mathematically models potential outcomes of one handlepull of the gaming device using a random variable with a probabilitymass function (PMF) or probability density function (PDF). With thesefunctions, the x-axis may represent potential winnings, such as −$1 or$3, which can occur from a single handle pull. The example of −$1indicates the player has paid $1 for the pull but has won nothing. Theexample of $3 indicates that the player has paid $1 for the pull and won$4. The y-axis of these functions represents the probability orprobability density of each outcome occurring. The probability of theplayer getting −$1 on a pull might be 0.8, while the probability of theplayer getting $3 might be 0.2.

A PMF for the number of accumulated credits at the end of a contract canthen be created by summing the random variables representing individualhandle pulls. If each pull is independent with an identical PMF, as iscommon with slot machines, then the PMF for the results of the entirecontract can be created using repeated convolutions of the PMF's forindividual handle pulls. If, for example, 600 pulls are involved, thenthe PMF for single a handle pull may be convolved with itself 599 timesto generate a PMF for the entire contract.

Using this resultant PMF, the insurer can easily calculate how much itwould expect to pay to cover a player's losses on each contract. If theresultant random variable is denoted by w, and the insurer would byrequired to pay for any player losses, then the insurer's expectedpayment is given by Σ_(−∞) ⁰ w*probability(w).

4) In the method described above, Fourier Transforms, Z transforms,Laplace Transforms, or other transforms can be used to aid in thecalculation of the repeated convolutions. Such a use of transforms iswell known in the art.5) As is well known in the art, with many classes of random variables,repeated summation results in a Gaussian probability distribution. Thisdistribution has the shape of the familiar bell curve. The Gaussiandistribution has the advantage of being fully described by only twoparameters, a mean and a standard deviation. If a Gaussian probabilitydistribution is used to approximate the sum of a large number ofindependent, identically distributed random variables, such as thosethat often describe handle pulls, then the mean and standard deviationof the Gaussian distribution is very easily calculated based on the meanand standard deviation of a random variable describing an individualpull. Such calculations are well known in the art. Thus, a Gaussiandistribution can easily be generated to approximate the PMF of aplayer's accumulated credits at the end of a contract. Using thisdistribution, the insurer can calculate the amount it would be requiredto pay, on average, to cover a player's losses. The method ofcalculation is similar to that described in 3). If a Gaussian PDF isused as an approximation, then an integral sign replaces the summationsign, and “probability” is replaced by “probability density.”

The following is an example of using a Gaussian probability densityfunction to approximate the amount a casino would be required to pay, onaverage to, to compensate a player for his winnings at the end of acontract. The contract may then be priced in excess of this amount toensure an average profit for the casino/insurer combination. A Gaussianfunction is given by the formula, f(x)=1/√(2πσ)exp(−(x−μ)²/(2σ²)). Inthis formula, σ is the standard deviation, and μ is the mean. Now, letus suppose that a single handle pull of a slot machine results in arequired payout to the player described by a probability mass functionwith mean μ₀ and standard deviation σ₀. Then, assuming each handle pullis independent, n handle pulls of the slot machine may be described by afunction with mean μ=μ₀n and standard deviation σ=σ₀√n. Furthermore, ifn is large, then the function describing a casino's aggregate payoutafter n handle pulls may be approximated by the Gaussian function f(x),whose formula is given above.

To calculate what a casino would have to pay to compensate a player forhis winnings, on average, we note that the casino pays when the playerwins, but receives nothing when a player loses. Therefore, the expectedpayment of the casino is given by:

∫_(−∞) ⁰0*f(x)dx+∫ ₀ ^(∞) x*f(x)dx=∫ ₀ ^(∞) x*f(x)dx.

We proceed to solve the integral:

$\quad\begin{matrix}{{\int_{0}^{\infty}{x \star {{f(x)}{x}}}} = {\int_{0}^{\infty}{x \star {{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\; \pi \; \sigma} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}{x}}}}} \\{= {{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\; {\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\int_{0}^{\infty}{x \star {{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}{x}}}}}} \\{= {{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\; {\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\int_{0}^{\infty}{\begin{bmatrix}{\left( {x - \mu} \right) \star} \\{{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\; \sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)} +} \\{\mu \star {\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}}\end{bmatrix}{x}}}}} \\{= {{2{\sigma^{2}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}} \star \left( {{- 1}/2} \right) \star}} \\{{\left\lbrack {\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)} \right\rbrack_{0}^{\infty} +}} \\{{\mu {\int_{0}^{\infty}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}{x}}}}}\end{matrix}$

We deal with the two terms separately:

${{2{\sigma^{2}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}} \star \left( {{- 1}/2} \right) \star \left\lbrack {\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)} \right\rbrack_{0}^{\infty}} = {{{{- \sigma^{2}}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.} \star \left\lbrack {0 - {\exp \left( {{- \mu^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}} \right\rbrack} = {\quad{{\sigma^{2}{{\exp \left( {{- \mu^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}} = {\quad{{n\; \sigma_{0}^{2}{{\exp \left( {{- n^{2}}{\mu_{0}^{2}/\left( {2n\; \sigma_{0}^{2}} \right)}} \right)}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\pi \left. \sqrt{}n \right.\; \sigma_{0}} \right) \right.}} = {{n^{3/4}\sigma_{0}^{3/2}{{\exp \left( {{- n}\; {\mu_{0}^{2}/\left( {2\sigma_{0}^{2}} \right)}} \right)}/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\pi} \right) \right.}\mspace{79mu} {and}\mu {\int_{0}^{\infty}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}{x}}}} = {{\mu {\int_{{- \mu}/\sigma}^{\infty}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- y^{2}}/2} \right)}\sigma {y}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{{where}\mspace{14mu} y} = {\left( {x - \mu} \right)/\sigma}} \right)}}} = {{\mu \left. \sqrt{}\sigma \right.{\int_{{- \mu}/\sigma}^{\infty}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\pi} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- y^{2}}/2} \right)}{y}}}} = {\mu \left. \sqrt{}{\sigma \left\lbrack {1 - {\int_{- \infty}^{{- \mu}/\sigma}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2\pi} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- y^{2}}/2} \right)}{y}}}} \right\rbrack} \right.}}}}}}}}}$

The integral is the cumulative distribution function for a zero mean,unit standard deviation Gaussian, for which tables exist. We denote itby N(−μ/σ). Continuing:

${\mu {\int_{0}^{\infty}{{1/\left. \sqrt{}\left( {2{\pi\sigma}} \right) \right.}{\exp \left( {{- \left( {x - \mu} \right)^{2}}/\left( {2\sigma^{2}} \right)} \right)}{x}}}} = {{\mu \left. \sqrt{}{\sigma \left\lbrack {1 - {N\left( {{- \mu}/\sigma} \right)}} \right\rbrack} \right.} = {{n\; \mu_{0}n^{1/4}\left. \sqrt{}{\sigma_{0}\left\lbrack {1 - {N\left( {{- n}\; {\mu_{0}/\left( {\left. \sqrt{}n \right.\; \sigma_{0}} \right)}} \right)}} \right\rbrack} \right.} = {n^{5/4}\mu_{0}\left. \sqrt{}{\sigma_{0}\left\lbrack {1 - {N\left( {{- \left. \sqrt{}n \right.}\; {\mu_{0}/\sigma_{0}}} \right)}} \right\rbrack} \right.}}}$

Recombining the two terms we get:

∫₀ ^(∞) x*f(x)dx=n ^(3/4)σ₀ ^(3/2)exp(−nμ ₀ ²/(2σ₀ ²)/√(2π)+n^(5/4)μ₀√σ₀[1−N(−√nμ ₀/σ₀)]

If we were to graph the above as a function of n, the number of pulls,we would see that initially, as the number of pulls in a contract getslarger, a casino could expect to pay more money to compensate a playerfor his winnings. However, there would reach a point, beyond which morepulls in a contract would actually decrease the amount a casino couldexpect to pay to compensate a player for his winnings. This illustratesan important feature of contracts. Having more pulls in a contract isnot necessarily an advantage for a player.

6) A casino or insurer may start with a first price for a contract, andthen evolve the price as more and more of the contracts are purchasedand executed. For example, if an insurer loses money on the first fewcontracts it sells, then it may increase the price of the contract. Ifthe insurer makes large profits on its first few contracts, then it mayreduce the price.

Once the insurer has determined what it can expect to pay, on average,to cover a player's losses, the insurer may price the contract so as togive itself a desired profit margin. For example, if the insurer canexpect to pay, on average, $15 to cover a player's losses, then theinsurer might price the contract at $20 to insure itself a $5 averageprofit.

Automatic Play

A contract may require certain behaviors of the player. As mentioned,these behaviors may include maintaining a certain rate of play, orperforming a minimum number of handle pulls. The gaming device on whicha contract is executed may take various steps to ensure that thebehaviors are performed. To this end, the gaming device may initiatehandle pulls automatically or may fail to register handle pulls that theplayer attempts to initiate. For example, if the player must make atleast one handle pull every 10 seconds, and the player has failed tomake any handle pulls in 9 seconds, then the gaming device mayautomatically initiate a handle pull for the player on the tenth second.As another example, a player may be restricted from making more than onepull every 10 seconds. If in the same 10-second interval, the playerattempts to make more than one handle pull, the second handle pull maynot be initiated, at least until the next 10-second interval.

As can be seen from the above two examples, the player may maintain somecontrol over his gambling behavior even while the gaming device forceshim to comply with the contract. So a player who must make a pull every10 seconds still has control over whether the pull occurs on the firstsecond of an interval or the eighth second of an interval. Such controlcan be psychologically important, because many players feel that theexact moment at which the handle pull is initiated has an importanteffect on the ultimate outcome.

In some cases, a player may not desire to make any active decisions oncea contract has been initiated and may simply put a gaming device into“automatic play.” The player may later have the option of taking thegaming device out of automatic play and of manually initiating handlepulls.

Offering the Contract

A contract may be offered to a player in a number of ways. A gamingdevice may use text or synthesized voice to ask a person whether or nothe would like to sign up for a contract. A casino attendant may offer acontract to a player, or signs at a casino may point a player towards acasino desk where he may then purchase a contract.

A number of circumstances may trigger the casino or an insurer to offera contract to the player. For example, the player may have lost most ofan initial stake deposited into a gaming device. A player may be slowinghis play, or may no longer be inserting coins into the machine. The timeof day may be a player's typical lunch time or departure time. A playermay have the opportunity to enter into a contract only if he also agreesto do business with a particular merchant or group of merchants. Theplayer may have the opportunity to enter into a contract if the casinoor insurer deems him a good, valuable, or loyal customer.

Agreeing to the Contract

A player may specify a desired contract in a number of ways. At a gamingdevice, a player may use a touch screen to indicate his desire to enterinto a specific contract. Using the touch screen, the player may selectfrom a menu of possible contracts. For example, the menu might listseveral contracts with different time durations or different prices. Theplayer could then select a contract by touching an area of the screennext to his desired contract.

The player might use menus to customize a contract for himself. Theplayer might use a first menu to select a duration of the contract (e.g.600 pulls, or ½ hour). A second menu might be used to select a rate ofplay. A third menu might be used for coin denomination. Many other menusare possible for other contract features. Once the player has selectedseveral contract features, the gaming device may select the remainingfeature so as to make the contract profitable for the insurer. Forexample, once the player has chosen a number of pulls and a coindenomination, the gaming device might choose the price of the contract.

Rather than a touch screen, a player may use special buttons, keys, orvoice input to specify a desired contract or contract terms.

In some embodiments, a player chooses a contract prior to approachingthe gaming device or even the casino. A player might select a contracton the Internet. On the Internet, the player might specify terms of thecontract, such as the number of pulls, the rate of play, the cost, thepayout tables, the winning symbol combinations, etc. The player may thenprint out a code or a document describing the terms of the contract. Theplayer then brings the code or document to a gaming device that thenrecognizes what contract the player has chosen. When the player signs upfor a contract, a description of the contract might be sentelectronically directly to the gaming device. The player might then onlyidentify himself at the gaming device in order to initiate contractplay.

Other terms of a contract a player may agree to or specify include: thefont size of the machine, the noise level of the machine's soundeffects, the particular game (e.g. number of reels, number of paylines), the brightness of the display, etc.

Signature

To confirm entry into a contract, a player might sign a document thatmay contain the terms of the contract. The document may be printed froma gaming device or from the Internet, or may be obtained from a counterat a casino. The signed document may then be deposited into an openingin the gaming device, may be returned to a casino counter, or may bekept by the player. The player might also sign an area on a touch screenor other sensing device.

A player might also confirm entry into a contract simply by paying forit. The player might pay be depositing tokens, coins or other currencyinto the gaming device. The player might pay using a credit or debitcard. The player might also pay from a player credit account establishedwith the casino. The player might pay at a counter of the casino andmight receive a contract or a contract indicator to bring to a gamingdevice. The gaming device might then recognize the contract indicatorby, for example, a bar code, and then execute the contract.

Instruction Sets

A typical contract may cover and/or require a large number of handlepulls by the player. Now ordinarily, when a player is gambling at agaming device for a long period of time, the player makes a number ofdecisions related to his gambling. Should the player play more quicklyor more slowly? Should the player double his bet after a loss? Shouldthe player quit after a sizable win? Should the player take a shortbreak to use the restroom?

Since the contract covers a large number of pulls, it is possible forthe some player decisions to be made beforehand and included in thecontract. A gaming device may then act on the decisions specified in thecontract without further input from the player. For example, whilenegotiating a contract for an hour of play at 10 pulls per minute, aplayer might decide he'd like a 15 minute break between the first ½ hourand the second ½ hour of pulls. The gaming device might then execute thecontract for the first half hour by automatically spinning andgenerating outcomes for the first ½ hour. The gaming device might thenfreeze for 15 minutes, preventing other players from stepping in andallowing the contract holding player to take his 15 minute break. Thedevice can then unlock after 15 minutes, perhaps with the entry of apassword, and resume the generation of outcomes.

One important aspect of having a player's decisions spelled out beforehand in the contract is that the player need not even be present at thegaming device. A player can sign up for a contract at a casino in LasVegas, and then have the contract executed automatically by a gamingdevice. The player can then view a running tally of his accumulatedcredits over the Internet while in Virginia, for example.

In general, player instructions built into a contract will include someaction to be performed as well as some triggering condition for theaction. As an example, a player instruction may be to increase the rateof handle pulls provided accumulated player credits exceed 100. In thisexample, the action is to increase the rate of handle pulls, and thetriggering condition is whether accumulated player credits exceed 100.The following player actions may be part of a player's instructions:

-   -   Increase or decrease a wager amount on one or more handle pulls.    -   Increase or decrease a rate of wagering.    -   Cease gambling.    -   Change the way outcomes are displayed.

The following conditions may trigger the above actions

-   -   The player has just won or lost on one or more handle pulls.    -   The player has just won a certain amount on one or more handle        pulls.    -   Any player defined sequence of wins and losses has occurred on        prior handle pulls.    -   The player has approached or left the vicinity of the gaming        device.    -   The current time has reached a particular time of day.

One advantage of contracts executed by the gaming device is that agaming device can gamble at speeds a human is incapable of achieving.For example a player is on a winning streak, but must soon join hisfamily for lunch. Rather than cash out and leave, he decides toaccelerate his play to 2 pulls per second. He therefore enters a into acontract which is to be executed by the machine at 2 pulls per secondfor the next 8 minutes. In this contract, an insurer is not involved.The contract simply serves as a means of increasing the rate of play. Asit happens, the player loses all his money in 6 minutes, and so thecontract ends.

Player instructions may tell the slot machine to play faster when theplayer is present or is observing in some way, and to play more slowlywhile the player is asleep. For example, the rate of pulls may be twiceas fast during the day as at night. The rate of play may likewise befaster when an infrared detector in the slot machine senses the heat ofthe player's presence.

Player instructions may also tell a gaming device how to play certaingames involving player decisions. For example, a player may leaveinstructions to use basic strategy in a game of video blackjack, or toplay according to published theory in a game of video poker. The playermay add instructions to always draw to a four card open-ended straightflush.

Times of Execution

A contract may be executed over a range of different time periods. Theoutcomes, the accumulated player credits, and the player winnings may ormay not be displayed to the player at the same time at which theoutcomes are being generated.

In one embodiment, all the outcomes needed for a contract are generatedvery rapidly by a gaming device, perhaps all in less than a second. Theoutcomes may then be displayed to the player over a much longer timeframe so as to give the player a more exciting gaming experience.

In another embodiment, outcomes may be continuously generated at a ratecomparable to that with which a player might make handle pulls on hisown. This embodiment might be entertaining for a player if the player issitting at the gaming device or watching the outcomes being generatedfrom a home computer.

In another embodiment, outcomes are generated on a periodic basis atfixed times every day, week, hour, etc. For example, outcomes for a600-pull contract may be generated 100 outcomes at a time, each blockbeing generated from 8 pm-9 pm on Sunday. Thus, it would take just undersix weeks for the entire contract to be executed. This method ofexecution may be ideal if a player has a schedule as to when he enjoyswatching outcomes being generated. For example, the player might enjoyseeing outcomes generated while he watches his favorite show on Sundaysfrom 8 pm to 9 pm. This method of execution might also be ideal for thecasino if slow business periods occur on a periodic basis where theentire contract cannot be executed in a single period.

In still another embodiment, outcomes are generated on a flexible basis,either when it is convenient for the casino or for the player. In thisembodiment, the casino may wait for a gaming device to be free of usebefore using it to generate the next couple of outcomes of a contract.Alternatively, the player may signal the gaming device any time he isready to have the next few outcomes generated

Viewing the Contract's Execution

As discussed, a player may enjoy watching from a remote location as theoutcomes of his contracts are generated. Since the player is notphysically at the slot machine, the outcomes must be presented to theplayer via some graphical representation. In one embodiment, a camerasimply films the gaming device generating the player's outcomes. Theimage from the camera is transmitted to the player device via theInternet, the cable system, satellite, etc. The player device might be,for example, a TV or a personal computer. In another embodiment, thegenerated outcomes are recorded either by the gaming device, by a camerawatching the device, or by a casino employee. The generation of theoutcomes is then graphically recreated for the player in a manner notnecessarily consistent with the physical appearance of the gaming devicethat generated the outcomes. For example, a gaming device generates theoutcome: cherry-orange-lemon. The gaming device then transmits, via thecasino server and the Internet, a bit sequence indicating the outcomescherry-orange-lemon. Perhaps the bits “0000” represent cherry, “0011”represent orange, and “1111” represent lemon. The bit sequence istransmitted to a player's home computer, where a software programdisplays a cartoon representation of a slot machine. The cartoon showsthe reels spinning and stopping with the outcome: cherry-orange-lemon.The cartoon representation of the slot machine may not look anythinglike the slot machine that originally generated the outcomes. In someembodiments, a player views a combination of the actual image of hisgaming device, and a computer-rendered version of a gaming device. Forexample, a cartoon of the reels spinning might be displayed within theframe of an actual image of the slot machine, without the reels.

In some embodiments, the player does not view a graphical representationof the outcomes, but sees the outcomes as text, such as “seven-bar-bar,”“s-b-b,” “7-b-b,” etc. The player may not even see the outcomes, justhow much he has won or lost on every pull. Thus, the player may view aperiodically updated tally of his accumulated credits. He may only viewhis total accumulated credits, or his take home winnings, after alloutcomes have been generated.

Any graphical or textual representation of the player's outcomes,accumulated credits, or other contract information may be displayedeither on an entire portion of a computer or TV screen, or on a smallerportion of the screen. For example, a small cartoon slot machine mayreside in a box in the upper right hand corner of a TV screen thatsimultaneously displays a regular TV show. A player watching televisionneed then only glance up at the corner of his screen to follow theprogress of his contract. Representation of outcomes may also be placein an email message to the player.

Of course, the various representations of outcomes may be used just aswell with a player physically present at the gaming device or at thecasino.

In some embodiments, the player calls up a number to monitor theprogress of his contract. He may enter a code or password when promptedby a voice response unit (VRU) and thereby access the outcomes from hisparticular contract.

A player may be sent updates on his contract only when certaintriggering conditions are met. For example, a player may only wish forupdates when he wins more than 100 credits on a spin, or when thecontract terminates.

Revenue Management

As discussed previously, the pricing of a contract will often take intoaccount the expected amount an insurer must pay to a casino to cover aplayer's losses, or the expected amount that a casino and insurer incombination can expect to pay to compensate the player for his winnings.Pricing of contracts may account for additional factors such as, forexample:

-   -   Times or dates on which the contract is to be executed.    -   The gaming device on which the contract is to be executed    -   Flexibility in the contract's execution.    -   A player's playing history.    -   The importance of the player as a customer of the casino.

For example, a contract which is to be executed during a period of lowcustomer activity at a casino may be priced at a discount. This isbecause a casino would like to encourage the use of gaming devices thatare otherwise empty. Alternatively, a casino may want to discourage thepurchase of contracts during times of high customer traffic, and socontracts may be higher priced at such times.

If a contract has flexibility as to when it may be executed, then thisallows the casino to execute contracts only during times when gamingdevices would not otherwise be in use. Therefore, such a contract mightbe priced more favorably.

A contract that is executed at an unpopular gaming device, for example,might be priced more favorably for the player so as to encourage the useof that device.

If a player shows signs of nearing the end of his gambling session, acontract might be priced at a discount for that player. For example, aplayer might be slowing his rate of play, indicating boredom. A playermight be lowering his wager size, indicating a decreasing bankroll. Aplayer might simply have been at a gaming device for such a long timethat he would almost necessarily be hungry enough to leave at anymoment. Providing a discount on a contract to such players wouldencourage them to remain gambling for at least the time it takes toexecute the contract.

Settlement

In some embodiments, the casino acts as the intermediary in transactionsbetween a player and the insurer. The casino is an intermediary, forexample, when its gaming devices collect a player's payment for acontract, even though that payment is meant to go to the insurer. Thecasino is also an intermediary when it does not collect losses from aplayer, but from an insurer.

Since the casino may engage in many transactions with the insurer, itwould potentially be inefficient for the casino to transfer money to theinsurer, or vice versa, after every transaction. Therefore, the casinoor the insurer may maintain records of how much one owes the other. Thecasino and the insurer may then settle their accounts periodically. Ifthe casino owes the insurer money, then the casino may wire money to theinsurer. If the insurer owes the casino, then the insurer may wiremoney. Of course, many other methods of settlement are possible.

In cases where a contract has resulted in a net win for the player, theplayer must be paid. If the player is at the casino, he may enter into agaming device a password or other identifier of himself or of hiscontract. The gaming device may then access a database in the casinoserver containing the details of the contract, including the amount owedto the player. The gaming device may then payout the amount owed in theform of cash, tokens, paper receipts or vouchers, digital cash, digitalreceipts, etc. The player may also collect his winnings at a casinodesk, perhaps after presenting identification.

If a player is remote from a casino when his contract has finishedexecuting, then the player may be sent his winnings either by theinsurer or the casino. If the insurer provides the winnings, then thecasino may later reimburse the insurer in the amount of the winnings.The winnings may be sent in the form of cash, check, money order, etc.The winnings may be sent by postal mail, by wire transfer, by directdeposit, by email as digital cash, etc.

In some embodiments, the casino may simply keep the player's winnings ina player account at a casino, to be accessed by the player next time hevisits the casino. The winnings may, in the mean time, accumulateinterest. The casino (or insurer) may also alert the player that hiscontract has finished executing and that he has winnings. The player maybe instructed to come to the casino and pick them up.

In some embodiments, the player may have left instructions to take anywinnings from a first contract and purchase a second contract. Thisallows for the notion of a meta-contract. Just as a contract may specifyhow to allocate money for pulls, a meta-contract would describe how toallocate money for contracts. There could then be meta-meta-contracts,and so on.

Numerous variations on the above-described contract embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. For example, a player may be halfwaythrough a contract and have negative 200 accumulated credits. The playermight therefore lose all hope of winning enough to overcome the200-credit deficit, and so lose interest in the contract. Therefore, inone embodiment, a player who is well below a threshold number ofaccumulated credits for winning may play for an altered pay table. Lowpaying outcomes may be eliminated, while the likelihood of achievinghigh paying outcomes may increase. This is because a player with a200-credit deficit probably doesn't care about a win of ten credits, butdoes care about a win of 500 credits. The overall hold percentage of themachine may remain constant. In some embodiments, the alteration of thepay tables is an automatic function of the number of pulls remaining andthe credit deficit of the player. In other embodiments, the player mustrequest an alteration of the pay tables. As an example, a player mayselect an option that says, “Let me play just for the jackpot. Eliminateeverything else and make the jackpot more likely.” The player may or maynot have to pay for an alteration of the pay tables. In a more generalsense, the pay tables may change such that the standard deviation of thepayout for a particular handle pull changes even as hold percentage mayremain constant.

In another embodiment, a player might purchase a contract at a casinodesk and receive a token that indicates the type of contract. The playermight then deposit the token into a gaming device. The gaming devicewould then recognize the token and be able to execute the contract.

A player may have the privilege of entering into favorable contractsafter a fixed amount of initial betting. For example, if the playerwagers for an hour, he may be able to enter into a contract where eachpull is at true odds. That is each pull pays back, on average, the sameamount that was put in. Typically the pull pays back less. In yetanother embodiment, a player may receive better odds on contract playwhen he is recommended to the casino by a friend.

In some embodiments, certain results of a pull may terminate a contractearly. For example, if a player hits the jackpot, the contract mayterminate. In other embodiments a player's accumulated credits can bedisplayed to a player as a function of time in the form of a graph. Thegraph may look much like graphs used to plot the price of a stock marketindex as a function of time. In some embodiments, a player wins money orsome other prize if the graph takes on a certain shape. For example, ifthe line of the graph is such that it slips between several sets ofmarkers (much like a skier on a slalom course), then the player may wina large prize.

In some embodiments, a player's winnings on each pull of the contractare reinvested into the contract, whereas in other embodiments they arenot. In one example, a player purchases a contract for $100. The playerinstructs the gaming device to gamble the $100 until it is all gone.However, any winnings are not to be used to gamble, they are to be sentdirectly to the player. In a second example, the player purchases acontract for $100 and instructs the gaming device to gamble the $100until it is gone or until it has become $200. Here, the player elects toreinvest winnings, using the winnings to pay for new handle pulls evenafter $100 worth of handle pulls has been made already.

A contract may reward a player based on any second order data, ormeta-data about one or more outcomes. Examples include rewarding theplayer if three like outcomes occur in a row, if 20 cherries come up in10 sequential spins, if the players accumulated credits ever reach 100,etc. An example previously mentioned is rewarding a player based on thepattern of a graph of accumulated winnings as a function of time. Aplayer might choose the “meta-outcomes” on which he desires to berewarded, and the gaming device may figure the corresponding odds andthe size of the reward should the meta-outcome occur.

A player may be rewarded with the downside of a sequence of outcomesmuch as buying insurance gives him the upside. For example, a playerpays a fixed sum of money, and collects winnings for every dollar in thenegative the contract finishes at. Thus, if a contract ends with theplayer having minus 20 accumulated credits, then the player collects 20credits.

A contract may apply to a “best 100” sequence of a larger sequence ofpulls. For example, the player pays $100 for a contract of 1000 pulls.From those 1000 pulls, the player gets to choose any 100 consecutiveoutcomes to determine his winnings, and can disregard the rest of theoutcomes. Thus the player can say he wants to use outcomes 506 through605. Perhaps there was a hot streak during that sequence. The player'swinnings are then determined solely based on what happened between pulls506 and 605. This might result in winnings of $200, whereas havingcounted all 1000 pulls would have resulted in a net loss for the player.Of course, the gaming device may automatically choose the most favorablesequence for the player.

A player may choose his favorite outcome and receive higher payouts forthat outcome, special privileges for receiving that outcome (e.g. theability to terminate a contract), etc.

Returning now to the figures, FIG. 16 is a schematic representation ofan embodiment of a system configured to carry out the contractembodiments described above. The system 1600 comprises a casino server1605 in communication with insurer device 1610, a gaming device 1615,and a player device 1620. As used herein, a device (including the casinoserver 1605, the insurer device 1610, the gaming device 1615 and/or theplayer device 1620) may communicate, for example, through acommunication network such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN), a proprietary network, a Wireless AccessProtocol (WAP) network, or an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as theInternet, an intranet or an extranet. Moreover, as used herein, acommunication network includes those enabled by wired or wireless (e.g.,WiFi, Bluetooth™, GPS, RFID, etc.) technology.

It should be understood that any number of gaming devices and any numberof player devices can be used in system 1600. Although system 1600includes both a casino server 1605 and an insurer device 1610 asillustrated, one or the other of these elements may be omitted (forexample, the insurer device may be omitted in embodiments that do notinclude an insurer or where the casino acts as the insurer). Similarly,although system 1600 includes both a gaming device 1615 and a playerdevice 1620 as illustrated, one or more of these embodiments may beomitted (for example, the player device may be omitted if the casino hasnot implemented remote gaming). Further, some or all of thefunctionality of a casino server 1605 may be carried out by insurerdevice 1610 and vice versa. Similarly, some or all of the functionalityof casino server 1605 and/or insurer device 1610 may be carried out bygaming device 1615 and vice versa. In one embodiment, the casino server1605 comprises one or more computers that are connected to a remotedatabase server.

Turning now to FIG. 17, therein depicted is schematic illustration of acasino server 1605. Casino server 1605 is an illustration of anembodiment of the casino server of the same number in FIG. 16. Casinoserver 1605 comprises a processor 1705 in communication with acommunications port 1710 and storage device 1715. Contained in storagedevice 1715 is a program 1720, a player database 1725, a gaming devicedatabase 1725, and a contracts database 1730. Each of these databaseswill be described in detail below. The processor 1705 performsinstructions of the program 1720, and thereby operates in accordancewith the present invention. The program 1720 may be stored in acompressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. The program 1720furthermore includes program elements that may be necessary, such as anoperating system, a database management system, and “device drivers”used by the processor 210 to interface with peripheral devices.Appropriate program elements are known to those skilled in the art. Notethat the processor 1705 and the storage device 1715 may be, for example,located entirely within a single computer or other computing device orlocated in separate devices coupled through a communication channel.

Turning now to FIG. 18, therein depicted is a schematic illustration ofan insurer device 1610. Insurer device 1610 is an illustration of anembodiment of the insurer device 1610 of the same number in FIG. 16.Insurer device comprises a processor 1805 in communication with acommunications port 1810 and a storage device 1815. Storage device 1815stores a program 1820. The processor 1805 performs instructions of theprogram 1820, and thereby operates in accordance with the presentinvention. The program 1820 may be stored in a compressed, uncompiledand/or encrypted format. The program 1820 furthermore includes programelements that may be necessary, such as an operating system, a databasemanagement system, and “device drivers” used by the processor 1805 tointerface with peripheral devices. Appropriate program elements areknown to those skilled in the art. Note that the processor 1805 and thestorage device 1815 may be, for example, located entirely within asingle computer or other computing device or located in separate devicescoupled through a communication channel.

Turning now to FIG. 19, therein depicted is a schematic illustration ofa gaming device 1615. Gaming device 1615 is an illustration of anembodiment of the gaming device of the same number depicted in FIG. 16.Gaming device 1615 comprises a processor 1905 in communication with acommunications port 1910, an input device 1915, an output device 1920,and a storage device 1925. Storage device 1925 stores a program 1930.The processor 1905 performs instructions of the program 1930, andthereby operates in accordance with the present invention. The program1930 may be stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format.The program 1930 furthermore includes program elements that may benecessary, such as an operating system, a database management system,and “device drivers” used by the processor 1905 to interface withperipheral devices. Appropriate program elements are known to thoseskilled in the art. Note that the processor 1905 and the storage device1925 may be, for example, located entirely within a single computer orother computing device or located in separate devices coupled through acommunication channel.

Input device 1915 may comprise, for example, a player slot cardinterface, a keypad, a touch-screen, a microphone and/or any otherdevice which allows a player to input information into gaming device1615. Output device 1920 may comprise, for example, a display area, amicrophone, and/or any other device that allows gaming device 1615 tooutput information to a player. Gaming device 1615 may comprise, forexample, a slot machine, video poker machine, video keno machine, or avideo blackjack machine. A combination of these type of machines may beused in embodiments where casino server 1605 is in communication withmore than one gaming device 1615.

Turning now to FIG. 20, therein depicted is a schematic illustration ofa player device 1620. Player device 1620 is an illustration of anembodiment of the player device of the same number depicted in FIG. 16.Player device 1620 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC),laptop, personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a pager,and/or any other device that allows a player to remotely monitor andparticipate in play of a gaming device in accordance with the presentinvention. Player device 1620 comprises a processor 2005 incommunication with a communications port 2010 and a storage device 2015.Storage device 2015 stores a program 2020. The processor 2005 performsinstructions of the program 2020, and thereby operates in accordancewith the present invention. The program 2020 may be stored in acompressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. The program 2020furthermore includes program elements that may be necessary, such as anoperating system, a database management system, and “device drivers”used by the processor 2005 to interface with peripheral devices.Appropriate program elements are known to those skilled in the art. Notethat the processor 2005 and the storage device 2015 may be, for example,located entirely within a single computer or other computing device orlocated in separate devices coupled through a communication channel.

It should be noted that any and all of the processors 1705, 1805, 1905,and 2005 may comprise one or more microprocessors such as one or moreINTEL® Pentium® processors. Further, any and all of the storage devices1720, 1815, 1925, and 2015 may comprise any appropriate storage device,including combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., magnetic tapeand hard disk drives), optical storage devices and semiconductor memorydevices, such as Random Access Memory (RAM) devices and Read Only Memory(ROM) devices.

Examples of databases that may be used in connection with the system1600 will now be described in detail with respect to FIGS. 21 through23. Each figure depicts a database in which the data is organizedaccording to a data structure in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention. The data may be stored, for example, on a computerreadable medium and be accessible by a program executed on a dataprocessing system. The schematic illustrations and accompanyingdescriptions of the databases presented herein are exemplary, and anynumber of other database arrangements could be employed besides thosesuggested by the figures.

Player Database

Referring to FIG. 21, a table represents one embodiment of the playerdatabase 1720 that may be stored at the casino server 1605 shown in FIG.16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tableincludes entries identifying players that may be participating incontracts for flat rate play sessions with system 1600. The table alsodefines fields 2105, 2110, 2115, 2120, 2125, 2130, and 2135 for each ofthe entries. The fields specify (i) a player identifier 2105 thatuniquely identifies a player; (ii) a name 2110 associated with theplayer; (iii) an address 2115 that facilitates communications with theplayer; (iv) a financial account identifier 2120, such as a credit ordebit card account, associated with the player through which payment maybe obtained and to which player winnings may be credited; (v)demographic information 2125 that may be utilized to determine a priceor other terms for a contract; (vi) credits 2130 that represent theamount of casino credits associated with the player; and (vii) alifetime coin in 2135 that represents the amount of coin in wagered bythe player over the course of his or her relationship with the casinoand/or insurer.

Gaming Device Database

Referring to FIG. 22, a table represents one embodiment of the gamingdevice database 1725 that may be stored at the casino server 1605 shownin FIG. 16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Thetable includes entries identifying gaming devices operated by thecasino. The table also defines fields 2205, 2210, and 2215 for each ofthe entries. The fields specify a (i) a gaming device identifier 2205that identifies a gaming device; (ii) a name 2210 associated with thegaming devices, such as, for example, Diamond Mine®; and (iii) amanufacturer 2215 of the gaming device.

Contract Database

Referring to FIG. 23, a table represents one embodiment of the contractdatabase 1730 that may be stored at the casino server 1605 shown in FIG.16 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tableincludes entries identifying contracts that may or have been purchasedvia the system 1600. The table also defines fields 2305, 2310, 2315,2320, 2325, 2330, 2335, 2340, and 2345 for each of the entries. Thefields specify (i) a contract identifier 2305 that identifies a contractthat has been purchased or is available for purchase by a player; (ii) aplayer identifier 2310 that identifies a player, if any, that may beassociated with the contract; (iii) an initial bankroll 2315; (iv) adescription 2320 that describes the terms of the contract; (v) a cost2325 of the contract; (vi) a result 2330 that indicates the currentstatus of the contract; (vii) an amount owed the player 2335; (viii) anamount owed the insurer 2340; and (ix) a total amount owed the insurer2345.

A method that may be used in connection with the system 1600 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention will now be described indetail with respect to FIG. 24. The method shown in FIG. 24 may beperformed, for example, by a casino server 1605 in response to aplayer's request to purchase a contract and after determining the priceand terms of the contract the player wishes to purchase. This flow chartdoes not imply a fixed order to the steps, and embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced in other orders.

The method 2400 begins upon receipt of payment from a player for a fixednumber of pulls in step 2405. In other embodiments this step maycomprise receipt of payment for a fixed duration of time during whichthe player may play. Receipt of payment may comprise, for example,receipt of a monetary input into a gaming device 1615 or receipt of(and, e.g. approval of a charge on) a financial account identifier. Thereceived payment, or an indication of it, is then transmitted to aninsurer in step 2410. Outcomes are then generated for a fixed number ofpulls in step 2415. An adjustment of a tally of the player's accumulatedcredits based on the outcomes is performed in step 2420.

In step 2425 it is determined whether the adjusted tally exceeds apredetermined threshold. If it does, the method 2400 proceeds to step2435 where the player is paid the amount by which the tally exceeds thethreshold. Payment to the player may be achieved by, for example,outputting a monetary amount comprising the payment to the player at thegaming device or by crediting the amount of the payment to a financialaccount identifier associated with the player. If it is determined instep 2425 that the adjusted tally does not exceed the predeterminedthreshold then the method 2400 proceeds to step 2430 in which the amountby which the tally falls short of the threshold is collected from theinsurer.

Additional Description of Some Embodiments Session “Meta-Bets”

In some embodiments, a player may be allowed to play a “meta-bet” on theresults of a gaming session. For example, a player may wager that hisgaming session concludes with a credit balance of less than 20. Playersmay also bet on other attributes besides an anticipated credit balance,such as an anticipated win/loss ratio, anticipated number of outcomes ofa particular type (e.g., wins or losses), etc.

Players may place such meta-bets at any time before or during a session.For example, a player may bet at the outset of a session that his finalcredit balance will be lower than zero. In another example, a player maybet while in the middle of his session that his overall percentage ofwinning outcomes will be higher than 60% at the session's end.Additionally, rather than bet that a certain attribute will be true atthe end of a session, a player may bet that a certain attribute is trueby a point midway through a session (e.g., “I won't hit anyFour-of-a-Kinds before completing 100 of 200 video poker hands in thissession”).

In some embodiments a player may be offered one or more meta-bets. Forexample, a menu of possible meta-bets may be presented to a player uponthe player purchasing a session.

The cost of offering such meta-bets may then change depending on whenthe player places a bet (e.g., how many spins/hands or how much timeremains), his current credit balance, his current win percentage, etc.Thus, it is contemplated that the cost (and thereby a profitable payoutratio) in association with various types of such meta-bets may bedynamically determined in some embodiments, depending on the implicatedparameters. In some embodiments, players may only be allowed to placesuch meta-bets at certain phases, and/or when certain session attributesare known to be true, such that the computational requirements ofpricing such bets may be alleviated or avoided altogether (e.g., beforethe session starts, the player can select from a menu of three types ofpredetermined “Hedge My Session” meta-bets).

Thus, such meta-bets may provide players with a manner of “hedging”against flat rate play sessions with streaks of poor results (e.g.,midway through a session that is going poorly, a player can place asmall bet that he'll finish with a credit balance beneath a particularthreshold, and thus at least win some of his flat prepayment back).Conversely, a player who is “ahead” in the middle of a session might“lock in” some winnings by placing such a meta-bet (e.g., a player is up75 credits, and bets $5 he finishes with at least 25; the player mustthen complete the session to redeem the meta-bet).

Intra-Session “Side Switching”

In some embodiments, a player may be allowed to “switch sides” and playagainst a reverse paytable that rewards players for traditionally losingoutcomes (e.g., Blank-Blank-Blank), though does not pay fortraditionally winning outcomes (e.g., Bar-Bar-Bar). Such a reversepayout mode, including manners in which a player may access such areverse payout mode and play using the mode, is described at length inApplicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,492, filed Jun. 30, 1997 and entitled AGAMING DEVICE FOR OPERATING IN A REVERSE PAYOUT MODE AND A METHOD OFOPERATING SAME; U.S. application Ser. No. 10/420,037, filed Apr. 21,2003 and entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING PLAY USINGREVERSED PAYOUT TABLES; and co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.10/788,124, filed Feb. 26, 2004 and entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORREPRESENTING PLAY IN A REVERSE MODE; these documents are herebyincorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

In some embodiments, switching to a reverse pay table may occur duringthe middle of a flat rate gaming session (e.g., pre-paid session of 150video poker hands in which the player's credit balance starts at zeroand is allowed to go negative thereafter as wagers are placed).Additionally, in some embodiments, switching to a paytable may representa good strategy for increasing payout volatility in the middle of aplayer's session. In some embodiments, a player may elect to switch to areverse payout mode. In other embodiments, a switch to a payout mode maybe implemented based on a qualifying criteria (other than a playerselection of such) or randomly.

Alternate Payout Schemes for Session Play

In some embodiments, a player finishing a flat rate session with aparticular credit balance may not receive payment equal to that balance,but some other amount.

For example, the player's final credit balance may be compared to asecondary table that correlates credit balances (or ranges of creditbalances) with payout amounts. Such an intra-session balance of creditmight then be termed a “points” balance, or otherwise denoted so as todistinguish it from credits which a player may then be paid. Forexample, a final session “point” balance between 100 and 109 maycorrelate to a payout of 25 credits, whereas a final session “point”balance between 110 and 119 may correlate to a payout of 30 credits.Such a payout structure might be termed “tournament-style” flat rateplay.

Of course, other attributes of the player's session (number of outcomesof a particular type, percentage of outcomes of a particular type, etc.)may similarly be utilized to determine a payout. For example, in someembodiments a player may qualify for a bonus amount based on theattributes of the player's session (e.g., win a free dinner at arestaurant, ten (10) extra credits or 50% off your next session if atleast 50% of the spins during your session were not winning spins).

Examples of Flat Rate Play with Various Games

As described above, a gaming device of the present invention mayfacilitate flat rate play of various gambling games, such as slots,video poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, keno, bingo, and so on.Various examples of slot and video poker game were described in detailin the parent applications. Below are examples of session for othertypes of electronic wagering games.

For example, a gaming device may facilitate flat rate play of a videoblackjack game. In one example, a player may purchase 30 hands ofBlackjack for a flat price of either $4 or $20. In the $4 session, theplayer may be provided with $30 starting balance (of money available forwagering during the session; e.g., as in $30 in starting chips) and belimited to a $1 max bet. Such a session may have an associated cost, forexample, of $1.92 (this may be thought of as the casino's “contractcost” of providing the session to a player; in other words, on average,the house expects to pay out $1.92 to each player of sessions of thistype). In the $20 session, the player may be provided with a $150starting balance and the max bet may be increased to $5. Such a sessionmay have an associated cost, for example, of $9.59.

In one embodiment, a player of a video blackjack session may be providedwith tokens or other indicators, to be used when betting on each hand ofa session and to aid in counting down the hands remaining in a session.For example, in some embodiments, for either the $20 session or the $4session a player may be allowed to play either one or two such tokens onany given hand. Thus, playing one token on each hand will ensure theplayer the full 30 hands but no more. Playing two tokens at a time maygive the player fewer or more hands since the player will not lose thetokens on a win. The utilization of tokens, lammers or other indicatorsto track the number of hands remaining in a table version of a blackjacksession is described thoroughly in U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/012,230, filed Dec. 7, 2007 and entitled BLACKJACK SESSIONPLAY//TABLE GAME SESSION PLAY. Many of these manners of using tokens orlammers to track the number of hands remaining in a session may beapplied to the video blackjack session described herein. Accordingly,the use of tokens or lammers from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/012,230 is incorporated by reference herein.

In other embodiments, the number of hands may be fixed (e.g., at 30hands for either of the above sessions) and counted down as new cardsfor each hand are dealt, without use of such tokens (e.g., a “number ofhands remaining” meter may be used to count down the hands from 30 to 0as the player bets on each hand).

Of course, higher priced video blackjack sessions may be used as well.For example, a player may be offered a 100 hand video blackjack sessionfor $20, $75 or $200. The $20 session may provide the player, forexample, with a $100 starting balance and be limited to a $1 max bet.Such a session may have an associated cost of, for example, $4.24). The$75 session, on the other hand, may provide the player with a $1000starting balance and an increased max bet of $10. Such a session mayhave an associated cost of, for example, $42.40. The $200 session mayprovide the player with a $2500 starting balance and an increased maxbet of $25. Such a session may have an associated cost of, for example,$106.01.

It should be understood that the retail price (the price at which thesession is offered for sale to a player) and/or the cost of a sessionmay be based at least in part on the rules employed during the session.The prices and costs provided in the above examples are each based onthe assumption that the following rules would be employed: (i) dealerstands on soft 17; (ii) blackjack pays 3 to 2; (iii) no surrender ofhands allowed; (iv) early cash out of session allowed (i.e., player maycash out prior to playing all hands he is entitled to during thesession); (v) doubling down on any two cards allowed; (vi) maximum ofthree splits allowed; and (vii) no re-splitting aces. Some rules may beadjusted without affecting the price or cost. For example, changing rule(i) such that the dealer is required to hit on soft 17 would not changethe cost of the session and thus would probably not change the price.

Other factors, such as the rules or parameters of the session itself,may influence the session's cost (and thereby retail price). In someembodiments, a player's starting credit balance may be equivalent to theretail price, but in other cases it may not; this would of course havean effect on the ultimate number of credits available to the player atthe session's conclusion, and thereby on its cost.

In one embodiment, a player's credit balance for a video blackjacksession may start at zero irrespective of the session's retail price. Insome embodiments, a player's credit balance may be allowed to go belowzero. For example, the player may place a standard wager of $5 per hand,which may in some embodiments result in the credit balance being −$5upon the placement of the first wager of the session. In someembodiments, the player's balance may not be allowed to go below zerobut instead the credit balance may only be adjusted for payouts won bythe player and not based on wagers placed by the player (i.e., in suchembodiments the credit balance may only be increased due to payouts butnot decreased due to wagers).

In some embodiments, the player may be paid based on his final creditbalance after each of the hands of the video blackjack session arecompleted or at another time at which cashout occurs. For example, uponrequesting cash out the player may be paid, an amount of credits equalto his credit balance, or an alternate amount based on comparing hisfinal balance to a separate paytable, as described above. In someembodiments, the player might be provided with payouts based oncomparing a plurality of his hands (played either in sequence or at thesame time) to the dealer (e.g., a player gets a bonus for having sixconsecutive wins against the dealer, for getting five naturalblackjacks, for getting several six-card “21s,” etc); such payouts mayprovide for increased volatility (such that players who are down towardthe end of a session still have a chance of making money). Such methodsare described in Applicant's co-pending Application No. PCTUS06/37036,filed Sep. 25, 2006 and entitled MULTIPLE POSITION SINGLE ROUND GAMINGSLOT MACHINE AND METHOD; the entirety of this application is hereinincorporated by reference for all purposes.

Is should be noted that other methods of increasing the volatility of avideo blackjack session may be employed. The interested reader isdirected to Applicant's co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No.60/950,036, filed Jul. 16, 2007 and entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORFACILITATING CONDITIONAL BETS IN A FLAT RATE PLAY SESSION for furtherdescription of conditional volatility within flat rate wageringsessions; the entirety of this application is herein incorporated byreference for all purposes. In one example, in some embodimentspersonalized cards may be used in a flat rate session of videoblackjack. For example, players may purchase one or more personalizedcards at the beginning of a session and the card(s) may be applicablethroughout the entire session.

One advantage to including personalized cards in a session basedblackjack format is that the cost of a personalized card may be builtinto the price of the session. Therefore, a 30 hand session that wouldnormally cost $20 may instead cost a bit more (e.g., $23) if the playerelects to purchase a personalized card. For example, when purchasing aflat rate session of 30 hands of video blackjack, Player A opts toassociate an Automatic Win rule with the K

. Player A pays $20 for the session and $1.50 for the personalized card.If Player A receives the K

at any time during the session, his hand wins automatically.

Another advantage to including personalized cards in a session basedvideo blackjack format is that since the casino and the player can, inmany embodiments, anticipate playing a predetermined amount of hands,the casino can offer “packages” of personalized cards. A package ofpersonalized cards may comprise one or more personalized cards that areactivated or deactivated based on a set of triggers within a session. Insome embodiments, players may be able to choose a personalized card'ssuit, rank, associated rule or value change, restrictions and duration.In other embodiments, these variables may already be determined by thecasino.

In one embodiment, a personalized card “package” may comprise aplurality of personalized cards that gradually become active as theplayer progresses through the session. In such a situation, the player'sodds of winning get better as the player gets closer to the session'sconclusion.

For example, Player A purchases a 30 hand session of blackjack with apackage of personalized cards. The personalized cards are defined as anyface card of the diamond suit is worth 11. At the beginning of thesession, none of the personalized cards are activated, however the J♦ isactivated once the player has played 10 hands. Then, the Q♦ and K♦ arealso activated once the player has completed 20 hands. Thus, the playerplays first third of the session with no advantage, gains a smalladvantage during the second third of the session, and has the greatestadvantage in the last third of the session.

In another embodiment, a personalized card “package” may comprise aplurality of personalized cards that are all active at the start of thesession, and gradually deactivated as the player progresses through thesession. In such a situation, the player's odds of winning are highestat the beginning of the session, and decreases as the player gets closerto the sessions conclusion.

For example, Player A purchases a 30 hand session of blackjack with apackage of personalized cards. The personalized cards are defined as anyface card of the diamond suit is worth 11. At the beginning of thesession, all of the personalized cards are active, however the Q♦ and K♦are both deactivated once the player has played 10 hands. Then, the J♦is also deactivated once the player has completed 20 hands. Thus, theplayer plays the first third of the session with the greatest advantage,loses some of the advantage during the second third of the session, andhas no advantage during the final third.

In another embodiment, a package of personalized cards may comprise aplurality of personalized cards that are activated based on the game'soutcomes. For example, personalized cards may become active based on howmuch a player has lost or won in a session. For example, a playerpurchases a package of personalized cards. Once the player has lost $20,one of the personalized cards becomes active. If the player losesanother $20, another personalized card may become active, etc. Inanother example, a player purchases a package of personalized cards. Ifthe player wins $20, then one of the personalized cards becomes active.If the player wins another $20, another personalized card becomesactive, etc.

In some embodiments, personalized cards may become active based onindividual or a combination of outcomes. For example, a player purchasesa package of personalized cards. Each time the player and the dealertie, one of the personalized cards becomes active. In another example, aplayer purchases a package of personalized cards and if the player loses5 or more hands in a row, the personalized cards become active. In yetanother example, a player purchases a package of personalized cards andif the player wins 4 or more hands in a row, the personalized cardsbecome active.

It should be appreciated that more frequent winning hands at the end ofa session; (i) keeps the player's interest, (ii) makes the playerhappier with the game, and (iii) retain players after the session'sconclusion. Thus, in the above described personalized cards embodiments,the odds over the course of a video blackjack session may be adjusted byaltering the value of one or more predetermined cards throughout thesession. For instance, a video blackjack session may be broken into aplurality of individual sections (e.g., determined by a number of hands,an amount of time, etc) and cards of a predetermined rank and/or suitare assigned values based upon the current session section. By assigningdynamic values to specific cards, the casino is able to controlblackjack odds over the course of a game by changing whether a card'sapplied value is favorable or unfavorable for the player (e.g., byapplying a 1 or 11 value to cards other than aces).

For example, in one embodiment a video blackjack session is segmentedinto 3 sections and card values are dependent on the current sessionsegment. For instance, traditional blackjack values are applied duringall segments except that: Kings of hearts are valued 1 or 11 during thesecond segment; all Jacks Queens and Kings of hearts are valued 1 or 11during the third segment. Thus, as the play progresses, the player hasmore chances to hit Blackjack.

In some embodiments, altered values are not attributable to cards in thedealer's hand.

Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,552, filed Mar. 31, 1998 in the nameof Walker et al. and issued May 30, 2000, entitled A GAMING DEVICE ANDMETHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF describes various other manners ofcustomizing one or more parameters of a gaming device, one or more ofwhich may be applicable to embodiments described herein. Accordingly,U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,552 is incorporated by reference herein for allpurposes.

Turning now to video roulette session embodiments, as described herein,in some embodiments a gaming device may comprise a video roulette deviceand be operable to facilitate flat rate play of a video roulette game.For example, a player may purchase a session of 25 roulette spins for$40. Betting may occur within the session in a variety of differentmanners. In one example, a player may receive a lump sum of credits withwhich to bet at the outset of the session, and may be allowed to use thecredits to bet however he'd like, though with some restrictions (e.g., aminimum bet of $5 and maximum bet of $25 per spin). Thus, in oneexample, both the types of bets the player makes and the amounts bet maybe variable (to at least some degree) within a session. In anotherexample, a player may placed bets of a fixed size every spin, though inany manner he'd like. In yet another example, a player may placed betsof a fixed size every spin, though he may be restricted on the types ofbets he is allowed to place, so as to reduce the overall volatilityavailable to the player (e.g., a player gets $20 to bet with every spin,though may place a maximum of $5 on any given single number). In yetanother example, a player may purchase a video roulette session, andboth the types of bets placed as well as the amount bet per spin mayremain fixed throughout the session (e.g., a player bets $5 on each offive different numbers every spin). Thus, in accordance with someembodiments, when playing a session of video roulette, a player's betsmay be restricted in ways that are specific to the game of roulette. Forexample, a player may be prohibited from making overlapping bets, or theplayer may have a set amount of money that he is required to bet on acertain zone of the felt (e.g., inside bets vs. outside bets).Restrictions of this sort may help to decrease the volatility of thegame, which may be beneficial to the casino hosting the video roulettegame.

In some embodiments, restrictions for a video roulette session may beembodied in virtual tokens or chips of different colors that areprovided to the player for use during the session, with each colorrepresenting a distinct restriction or set of restrictions. For example,a player of a video roulette session may be provided with a certainnumber (e.g., 5) of chips of a first color (e.g., red) which may be usedto bet in an unlimited manner (i.e., the player can use the red chips tobe on anything). The player may also be provided with a certain numberof chips (e.g., 10) of a second color (e.g., blue), but the blue chipsmay only be used to bet on certain positions (e.g., particular colorand/or particular number(s)) or have other restrictions associatedtherewith (e.g., these latter chips may be used only once every otherspin, may not be used in combination with another color chip, may not beused for overlap bets, etc.).

In some embodiments, different and/or additional restrictions may beplaced on a player. For example, a player may only be allowed to playinside with a given number of chips at a time. In another example, aplayer may be restricted to bet a limited amount inside with no overlapor a limited amount outside with overlap.

In some embodiments, different types of video roulette sessions may bemade available to different types of players. For example, certain typesof players may be allowed to purchase a numbers session while othertypes of players may be allowed to purchase a red/black session. Ofcourse, making certain types of sessions only available to certain typesof player is a concept applicable to all of the types of games describedherein.

In one or more embodiments, a player may be allowed to purchase twoconcurrent sessions (e.g. a player may purchase both a numbers sessionand a red/black session).

In some embodiments of a video roulette session, the player receives astarting balance that limits the player. If the player runs out ofsession chips the player's session ends. In some video roulette sessionembodiments (as well as some video blackjack and other sessionembodiments), a player may only be allowed to cash out any credits overthe starting balance provided to the player upon the beginning of thesession. In other words, the credits initially provided to the playerfor the starting balance may be considered non-cashable credits. Forexample, if a player is provided with a $100 starting balance and endsthe session with a $115 ending credit balance, the player may be allowedto cash out the $15 credits over the initial $100 starting balance. Insuch embodiments, if the player's ending credit balance is less than thestarting balance, the player may not be allowed to cash any credits outbut may also not be required to provide any further payment beyond theflat rate price initially paid for the session.

In some embodiment of video roulette sessions, the player is not limitedin the amount the player can bet per spin (and/or the types of bet(s)the player can make on any given spin), but instead is limited in thenet amount the player can be paid per spin. In one embodiment, a sessionmay be defined by (i) a maximum amount paid per spin (in addition to thewager for that spin) and (ii) a maximum amount paid for outside bets(including outside wager). In such embodiments, both of these maximumsmay apply on each spin.

For example, a particular session may provide the player with 100credits maximum paid per spin and 50 credits maximum paid on theoutside, wherein the denomination is $1. Thus, if the player of thissession puts $100 on red and it hits, the player will get the $100 wagerback plus $50 more. If the player puts $3 on the number 17 and it hits,the player gets the $3, plus $100 more (the player would usually get$105 more at 35 to 1 if playing conventional roulette). If the playeralso bet $50 on black (17 is black), then the player would get this $50back as well, but no additional payout since the player already hit his$100 maximum for the spin.

In one embodiment, a form of session extension may be allowed for avideo roulette session: if the player hits the maximum payout on hislast spin (e.g., total payout, not just outside), he may be given anextra spin. This can continue as long as it lasts (i.e., in oneembodiment the player may continue to get an extra spin so long as hecontinues to keep kitting the maximum payout).

Some example session parameters for video roulette sessions follow.These examples are note meant in any limiting manner but are provide toillustrate some embodiments.

In one example, a 10-spin video roulette session may be sold for either$50, $100 or $200. The $50 session may be defined by a $0.50denomination, a $100 starting balance, a $50 maximum net payout per spinand a $25 maximum net payout for outside. This session may have anassociated cost of $41 of played on a single-o wheel and a $37 cost ifplayed on a 00 wheel. The $100 session may be defined by a $1denomination, $200 starting balance, $100 maximum net payout per spinand a $50 maximum net payout on outside. Such a session may have anassociated cost of $84 if played on a single-0 wheel and a $73 cost ifplayed on a 00 wheel. The $200 session may be defined by a $1denomination, $500 starting balance, $200 maximum net payout per spinand a $100 maximum net payout per spin on outside. Such a session mayhave an associated cost of $172 if played on a single-0 wheel and a $156cost if played on a 00 wheel.

In another example, a 25-spin video roulette session may be sold foreither $40 or $200. The $40 session may be defined by a $0.25denomination, a $100 starting balance, a $100 maximum net payout perspin and a $50 maximum net payout on outside. This session may have anassociated cost of $32 if played on a single-0 wheel and a $27 cost ifplayed on a 00 wheel. The $200 session may be defined by a $1denomination, a $300 starting balance, a $200 maximum net payout perspin and a $100 maximum net payout for outside. This session may have anassociated cost of $177 if played on a single-0 wheel and a $160 cost ifplayed on a 00 wheel.

In some video roulette session embodiments, the player may also beprovided with a number of tokens, lammers or other indicators equivalentto the number of spins defining the session. Thus, for a 10 spin sessionthe player may be provided with 10 tokens and one token may be deductedfrom the player's balance of tokens upon every spin, as a mechanism fortracking the number of spins the player has remaining. It should benoted that a player purchasing a 10-spin session and thus receiving 10tokens may not necessarily end up playing 10 spins during the session.In some embodiments in which the player is not restricted as to thewager amount per spin, the player may, for example, end up making somerelatively large wagers and thus end up completing less than 10 spinsduring the session. However, since in some embodiments the maximum netpayout per spin is limited, the player in such embodiments may not beincentivized to make large bets.

In some embodiments, a player may be provided with the entirety of hisstarting balance for a session upon starting the session. In otherembodiments, portions of the starting balance may be provided to theplayer upon each spin (e.g., to minimize the chances of a playerbankrupting himself by making exorbitantly large wagers). For example,20 chips may be provided to the player prior to the initiation of eachspin. A player may or may not be required to wager the entirety of thechips provided to the player for any given spin (e.g., in someembodiments the player may be allowed to “roll over” some chips providedfor a current spin to a subsequent spin). In some embodiments, a limitmay be placed on how many of such chips (or a value of such chips) theplayer may save towards a future spin (e.g., the player may have a $30allowance for a session and/or a $10 allowance per spin of value theplayer can save towards a subsequent spin).

In some embodiments, a player may be paid out in a different type ofchip, credit or other type of currency than he is allowed to wager with.For example, a player may be provided with non-cashable credits or chipsto utilize for betting during the session but may be paid out withcashable credits. In some embodiments, a separate meter and/or displaymay be used to track non-cashable credits or chips usable only forbetting during the session and cashable credits or chips that may becashed out by the player (e.g., these latter chips or credits may beones won by the player during the session as a result of wagers made).

Turning now to FIG. 25, illustrated therein is an example screen 2500 ofa snapshot in time of a video roulette session, consistent with someembodiments described herein. Screen 2500 indicates a maximum payoutamount per spin for the session the player is currently engaged in, inarea 2505. It also shows the number of chips the player has left to usefor the session (in area 2510), as well as the denomination of each chip(also in area 2515). It should be noted that, in accordance with someembodiments, the chips usable for betting in a flat rate play sessionmay be non-cashable chips, which is why these chips are referred to as“session chips” in screen 2500. Area 2515 shows the winning number forthe last or current spin. Area 2520 shows the number of spins left inthe session. Areas 2525 are buttons the player may press to quit thesession early (as described herein, in some embodiments a player may enda flat rate play session prior to utilizing all of the spins of thesession). Area 2530 shows the virtual wheel and virtual ball, which arespun to indicate the result of each round of the game. In someembodiments, area 2530 may be enlarged during the actual “spinning”process.

Area 2535 illustrates the betting area (i.e., the virtual felt on whichplayers place their bets). Areas 2540-2550 illustrate various buttons aplayer may press to initiate certain actions.

Turning now to FIG. 26, illustrated therein is a flowchart of an exampleprocess 2600 consistent with some video roulette session embodimentsdescribed herein. Process 2600 is a process for processing a bet withina video roulette session of a player. It is assumed that a player haspurchases a flat rate play session of a video roulette session prior toprocess 2600 initiating. Details of the typical operations of a videoroulette device are omitted herein for purposes of brevity. U.S. Pat.No. 5,775,993 to Fentz et al (issued on Jul. 7, 1998 and entitled VIDEOROULETTE MACHINE) describes the detailed operations of a video roulettedevice that may be utilized in some embodiments described herein. Theentirety of U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,993 is incorporated by reference herein.

In step 2605, a player's requested bet is determined. For example, itmay be determined that the player has placed 20 chips on the linebetween the number 30 and 33, thus indicating a request to make a splitbet for those numbers. In step 2610 it is determined whether this bet isconsistent with the restriction of the session the player has purchased.As described, certain sessions may include one or more restrictions onthe types of bets allowed (e.g., to limit the exposure of the casino).Step 2610 may comprise, for example, determining the session purchasedby the player, determining the restrictions defining the session anddetermining whether the bet requested by the player is prohibited by therestrictions. If the bet is prohibited, process 2600 continues to step2615, in which step the bet is rejected. For example, assuming overlapbets were restricted in the session purchased by the player, step 2615may comprise rejecting the split bet and outputting a message to theplayer, reminding the player that overlap bets are prohibited in hissession.

If the bet requested by the player is not prohibited by the restrictionsof the session, process 2600 continues to step 2620, in which step thebet is confirmed. Confirming the bet may comprise, for example,recording the bet in memory and displaying the bet on the virtual felt.Confirming the bet may also comprise requesting the player to confirmthe bet.

In step 2625, the end of the betting phase is determined (i.e., it isdetermined that no more bets are to be accepted for the upcoming spin ofthe virtual roulette wheel). For example, it may be determined that apredetermined amount of time has passed since bets were begun to beaccepted for the spin. Step 2625 may comprise, for example, displaying a“No More Bets” message to the player(s) of the game and sending a“betting stopped” message to a processor of the video roulette devicefacilitating the game.

In step 2630, the “spin” of the virtual roulette wheel is performed.This may comprise, for example, determining a random number, displayinga tilting of the virtual wheel, displaying a spinning of the virtualwheel, displaying a dropping of a virtual ball into the virtual wheel,outputting appropriate sounds duplicating the sound of a ball rolling ina roulette wheel, and stopping the wheel such that the ball lands in thespot of the wheel corresponding to the random number determined.

In step 2635 it is determined whether the bet confirmed in step 2620 isa winner (i.e., determining whether the ball landed on a number/colorbet on by the player). If the bet is not a winner, process 2600continues to step 2645. Otherwise, process 2600 continues to step 2640,in which step the chips bet are collected.

In step 2645 the initial payout is determined. It is called the initialpayout because, in accordance with some embodiments, it is assumed forthe sake of this example that the session defined a maximum net payoutfor each spin. Thus, it is first determined what payout is due to theplayer based on the amount bet and the payoff corresponding to the bet,without taking the maximum net payout into account.

In step 2650 the initial payout determined in step 2645 is compared tothe maximum net payout of the session purchased by the player todetermine whether the initial payout is greater than the maximum netpayout. If the initial payout is not greater, process 2600 continues tostep 2655 and the initial payout is paid to the player. Otherwise,process 2600 continues to step 2660, in which the adjusted payout(typically the maximum net payout) is determined. In step 2665 theadjusted payout is paid to the player as an alternative to the initialpayout.

In some embodiments, special jackpot payouts may be provided to a playerof a video roulette session based on events during the session. Forexample, a special payout may be awarded to a player for winning onconsecutive numbers (e.g., across consecutive spins). For example, apayout may be provided if a player wins on the numbers 1-6 across sixconsecutive spins. In some embodiments, process 2600 may include adetermination of whether a special jackpot payout is due to the playerbased on the result of the current spin and, in some embodiments, basedon results of previous spins.

It should be noted that U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/012,230, filed Dec. 7, 2007 andentitled BLACKJACK SESSION PLAY//TABLE GAME SESSION PLAY describesvarious roulette session embodiments for table games. The description ofsuch embodiments from this provisional application is herebyincorporated by reference herein. Turning now to video baccarat sessionembodiments, as described herein, in some embodiments a gaming devicemay comprise a video baccarat device and be operable to facilitate flatrate play of a video baccarat game. The following example is provided inHong Kong Dollars, rather than U.S. dollars, as Baccarat is much moreprevalent in Asian countries than it currently is in the U.S. Of course,the Hong Kong dollars could easily be converted to U.S. dollars if sucha conversion were desired, or another currency altogether, such as theMalaysian ringgit, may be used. Turning now to a non-limiting example, aplayer may purchase 25 hands of baccarat for HK$2000. Of course, as inembodiments for other types of games described herein, the player'scredit balance may start at zero and be allowed to go negative fromthere, as the player places wagers. In another embodiment of a HK$2000baccarat session, a player may be provided with a starting balance ofHK$10,000. The player may be restricted, however, in how the player maybe allowed to bet this HK$10,000 during the session. For example, theplayer may be restricted to 5 HK$1,500 wagers, 10 HK$1,000 wagers and 10HK$500 wagers. The player may also be provided with 25 tokens, with 1token being retrieved from the player for each wager made. Such a videobacarrat session may be further defined by a HK$11,000 pay line and havean associated contract cost of HK$1,256. In one embodiments, the rulesassociated with such a session may be as follows: (i) player may bet on“player” or “banker” but not on “tie”; (ii) banker bets have commissiontaken; (iii) each token has a maximum bet for the hand associated withit; and (iv) session must be played out to completion (i.e., no earlycash out).

Players might get paid bonuses for various unlikely occurrences, such as100 credits if the player chooses a side (player or dealer) that resultsin an outcome of “2-3-4” in any one suit. In embodiments wherein wageramounts are not fixed, the game might restrict amount played can bet onan outcome of “tie.”

It should be noted that U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/012,230, filed Dec. 7, 2007 andentitled BLACKJACK SESSION PLAY//TABLE GAME SESSION PLAY describesvarious baccarat session embodiments for table games. The description ofsuch embodiments from this provisional application is herebyincorporated by reference herein.

Turning now to video keno session embodiments, as described herein, insome embodiments a gaming device may comprise a video keno device and beoperable to facilitate flat rate play of a video keno game. For example,a player might pay a flat amount and receive a certain number of kenoentries (e.g., 15 consecutive games). In one example, the player mightwager the same amount, and submit the same “ticket” (e.g., a “5-spot”ticket for the numbers 1, 16, 22, 31, 33, and 39) for each game.

In one embodiment, a player may be started in a Keno session with zerocredits. Any credits won by the player may be added to the creditbalance while wagers are not deducted from the balance. In such anembodiment, a player may be offered, for example, either a 25-handsession or a 100-hand session. The 25-hand session may be offered, forexample, for either $20, $40 or $100. The 25-hand, $20 session may bedefined by, for example, 5 spots, $0.10 denomination and 8 credits betper spot (for a $4 total wager) and be associated with a $11.95 cost.The 25-hand, $40 session may be defined by 3 spots, $0.25 denominationand 8 credits bet per spot (for a $6 total wager) and be associated witha $27.27 cost. The 25-hand, $100 session may be defined by 4 spots, a $1denomination and 8 credits bet per spot (for a $32 total wager) and beassociated with a $70.76 cost.

In some embodiments, a keno session may be associated with a creditbalance that can go below zero (e.g., wagers are deducted for each hand,even if the deduction results in a credit balance that is negative; winsare added to the credit balance, which may result in the credit balancereturning to a positive amount). In such an embodiment, some of theparameters defining a keno session may change. For example, a 25-hand,$20 keno session may be defined by 2 spots, a $0.25 denomination and 8credits bet per spot (for a $4 total wager) and be associated with a$12.49 contract cost. A 25-hand, $40 keno session in such an embodimentmay be defined by 4 spots, a $0.50 denomination and 8 credits bet perspot (for a total of $16) and be associated with a cost of $26.11.

Additional methods for facilitating session play of various types ofcasino games (e.g., roulette, keno, bingo, blackjack, baccarat, etc.)are described in Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.11/333,683 (Attorney Docket No. 05-001), filed Jan. 17, 2006 andentitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING AND SELLING WAGERING GAMEOUTCOMES TO BE VIEWED REMOTELY; Applicant's co-pending U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/392,444 (Attorney Docket No. 06-002), filed Mar. 26, 2006and entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING A BATCH RUN OFSESSIONS; Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/391,843(Attorney Docket No. 06-008), filed Mar. 26, 2006 and entitled METHODSAND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING AND SELLING WAGERING GAME OUTCOMES FOR APLURALITY OF PLAYERS; Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.11/392,828 (Attorney Docket No. 06-010), filed Mar. 29, 2006 andentitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING AND SELLING OUTCOMES FORROULETTE GAMES TO BE VIEWED REMOTELY; and Applicant's co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 11/393,154 (Attorney Docket No. 06-011), filed Mar.29, 2006 and entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING AND SELLINGOUTCOMES FOR DRAWING GAMES TO BE VIEWED REMOTELY; the entirety of eachof these applications is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

Tax Implications and Flat Rate Play

As is known in the art, in some jurisdictions, some standard wageringdevices (not offering flat rate play sessions) are configured to “lockup” upon the occurrence of a single payout amount over a certainthreshold (e.g., $1,200), such that tax paperwork may be facilitated(e.g., an attendant is dispatched to a gaming device, or notices thegaming device's “locked” state, service light, etc.). Normally, anattendant might (i) provide a W2-G to the player, (ii) provide a “handpay” of the jackpot amount, and/or (iii) insert a key into the gamingdevice, such that the win amount may be cleared from the gaming device'scredit balance (as the player was paid by hand) and/or reported to acentral server (for accounting purposes).

Such a tax-implicated payout event may be handled differently within thecontext of a flat rate play session for which a player has paid a flatprice up front. For example, in one embodiment, should a player in themiddle of a flat rate play session (e.g., on the 51^(st) of 100 spins)achieve a single payout of $1,200 or more, the machine may still “lockup,” and an attendant may still be required to interface with theplayer. The attendant may still provide the player with appropriate taxpaperwork (e.g., a W2-G). However, (i) the payout may not be “cleared”from the machine's credit balance (i.e., intra-session balance), as theplayer may still need to “wager off” the payout over remaining plays ofthe session (e.g., each play results in a reduction of the sessioncredit balance by a standard wager amount), and/or (ii) the player maynot receive a hand pay (e.g., as the payout amount remains “on themachine”).

In other embodiments, taxes and/or other withholdings may be deductedfrom the jackpot amount with the aid of an attendant. FIGS. 27 a-27 cillustrate three distinct and consecutive screen shots corresponding toone example process via which taxes may be deducted from a qualifyingjackpot.

FIG. 27 a illustrates information that may be output to a player uponwinning a jackpot that is equal to or greater than a qualifying amount(e.g., $1200). In accordance with one embodiment illustrated via FIG. 27a, a gaming device may lock up upon a win of such a qualifying jackpotuntil an attendant arrives to unlock it. For example, the attendant maybe authorized to either clear the jackpot (i.e., the jackpot is added tothe credit meter without any withholding of taxes therefrom) or causethe appropriate taxes and/or other withholdings to be deducted from thejackpot prior to it being added to the credit meter.

FIG. 27 b illustrates the different taxes and other withholding amountsthat an attendant may be asked to fill in when processing the jackpot.For example, screen 27 b may be a touchscreen via which an attendant mayadjust the actual amounts and/or corresponding rates for each type ofwithholding. It should be noted that, in many embodiments, the totalwithholding must be less than the net jackpot amount. In someembodiments, each of the amounts to be withheld may need to be an evenmultiple of the bet for each game in the session. In the example ofscreen 27 b, each of the amounts is in a multiple of $5. In someembodiments, amounts are rounded up to the nearest $5 increment. Whenfinishing configuring the withholding amounts, the attendant presses the“enter” button.

In some embodiments, taxes or withholdings other than federal and/orstate taxes may be withheld from a jackpot. For example, local taxes,commonwealth taxes, deadbeat dad withholdings or any other withholdingsmay be set as preferred by the casino hosting a flat rate play session.

Once the withholding amount is confirmed, the gaming device may displaythe alternate jackpot amount (i.e., the jackpot amount less thewithholding amount). FIG. 27 c illustrates an example of a screen thatmay be displayed, informing the player and the attendant of thealternate jackpot amount. If the alternate jackpot amount is correct,the attendant can clear the jackpot (e.g., by turning the key switch).

Once the jackpot is cleared, the withholding amount is subtracted fromthe session balance and is displayed on the paid meter. The withheldamount can be metered as attendant paid canceled credits, added to thepaid meter and added to the canceled credits hard meter. This may be aprocess similar to what occurs on some machines when a cashout isrequested and paid by an attendant.

In addition to clearing the jackpot and authorizing the withholdingamount, an attendant may also provide a player with a W2-G form and helpthe player in filling it out. In some embodiments, the attendant mayrequire the player to provide an acceptable form of ID when processingthe jackpot.

Mid-Session Game Transfer

In some embodiments, a player may be allowed to transfer from “gamefamily” to “game family” of unequal value (e.g., from a first videopoker game wherein a player is offered 150 hands for $20 to a secondvideo poker game wherein a player is normally offered 200 hands for $20,as players might be given more hands for game types that are lessvolatile). In some embodiments, this may occur through a valuetranslation process (e.g., an algorithm that converts “remainingplays/time” of a first game type to an appropriate metric for “remainingplays/time” of a second game type), and may optionally include a tax orfee to the player for switching families (e.g., $1 per mid-game switch).

Benefit for Having a Friend's Player Tracking Card Inserted

In some embodiments, to encourage new players to view session play,players of flat rate play sessions may receive a benefit (e.g., aone-time benefit of a certain amount of comp points, a cash benefit,merchandise benefit, promotional credits, etc.) if a different player'stracking card is inserted during a session. The other player's trackingcard might be inserted into the same machine, or an adjacent machine.

Rate-Of-Play Benefits in Flat Rate Gaming

In some embodiments, a player may receive more spins/time if a certainrate of play is maintained for a period within a session.

Time Play “While Reels Spin”

In some embodiments, wherein the duration of a flat rate play session isdenoted in time (e.g., a 60-minute session), time may only count againstthe player while a game play is mid-execution (e.g., minutes/seconds areonly taken away from the player's remaining duration “while the reelsare spinning”).

Altered Bet on Final Spin

In some embodiments, on the last game play of a prepaid session, aplayer may be allowed to place a bet as large as his credit balance willcover (e.g., $125.25), if he chooses.

Best Session Contest

In some embodiments, in lieu of collecting payout amount for completedsession, player may enter session into contest (“Best Session of theDay” pays $10,000).

Flat Rate Play Sessions Executed on Wireless/Handheld Devices

In some embodiments, players of flat rate play sessions onwireless/handheld devices (as described above) may receive benefits forplaying in certain geographic areas (e.g., extra spins while visitingrestaurants or waiting in line).

In some embodiments, players of flat rate play sessions onwireless/handheld devices may see up to three distinct credit balances:(i) an “intra-session” balance of credits for tracking wager/win/lossbehavior within a flat rate play session, (ii) a “gambling” creditbalance (funds available to the player for gambling, whether purchasingflat rate play sessions or otherwise), and/or (iii) a device/accountbalance (funds available to the player for various services availablevia the handheld/wireless, including gambling, purchase ofgoods/services, etc.). In some embodiments, a player may be restrictedfrom transferring an amount of funds from one such balance to another.For example, a player may only be able to deposit $100 into a gamblingbalance per day. In another example, only a percentage of a player'sdevice/account balance may be transferred to a gambling balance at anyone time. In another example, depending on the player, a request totransfer funds to a gambling balance may be denied (e.g., a child, aproblem gamer, etc.).

As described, in some embodiments, flat rate play on such awireless/handheld device may involve interaction with a network server,for determining game results, accounting purposes, and so on. In someembodiments, a player might begin play of a flat rate session on a firstportable gaming device, and conclude the session on a second portabledevice (e.g., session data is stored on the network server, and theplayer need only identify himself to a gaming device to resume aninterrupted session).

“Sample Session” Button

In some embodiments, gaming device players may have an option (e.g., bypressing a button or icon of a touch-screen display) to play ashort-duration session by providing little (or no) payment. For example,a player may press a “$2 sample session” button. $2 in value is deductedfrom the machine's credit balance and the player may be allowed to playa short flat rate play session of 20 spins. The player may then“convert” this small session into a full-length session (e.g., retaininga credit balance and providing an additional fee), purchase afull-length session at a discount, win additional session play, and soon. Such methods for extending flat rate gaming sessions are describedat length in Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/254,352(Attorney Docket No. 05-033), filed Oct. 25, 2005 and entitled METHODSAND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING A FLAT RATE PLAY SESSION AND FOREXTENDING SAME; and Applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.11/273,534 (Attorney Docket No. 05-044), filed Nov. 14, 2005 andentitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OFFERING A FLAT RATE GAMING SESSIONWITH TIME EXTENSION AWARDS; the entirety of each of these applicationsis incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

1. An apparatus for facilitating a wagering game, comprising: a processor operable to facilitate a wagering game; a memory storing a program, the memory operable to communicate with the processor; a display for outputting representations of a video roulette wagering game; the processor operable with the memory to: determine a player has purchased and is participating in a flat rate play session of the video roulette game, the flat rate play session being defined by a restriction and a maximum net payout per spin: recognize a bet requested by the player; perform a spin of the video roulette game; determine a result of the spin; determine whether the bet is a winner; determine, if the bet is a winner, an initial payout to the player for the spin; determine whether the initial payout is greater than the maximum net payout; and provide the initial payout to the player if the initial payout is not greater than the maximum net payout, otherwise providing the maximum net payout to the player in place of the initial payout.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: determine whether the bet is compatible with the restriction; reject the bet if the bet is not compatible with the restriction.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor if further operable with the program to: determine a number of spins comprising the flat rate play session; and display via the display the number of spins comprising the flat rate play session.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: upon an occurrence of each spin in the session, decrementing by one the number of spins remaining.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: receive a payment for the flat rate play session, the payment comprising a flat rate price that is less than the sum of the wager available for placement during the session.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: provide, at a beginning of the flat rate play session, a plurality of wagering units to the player for wagering during the flat rate play session, wherein a monetary value of the wagering units provided is greater than a monetary value of a price paid for the flat rate play session.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the wagering units provided are non-cashable.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor being operable with the program to provide a plurality of wagering units to the player comprises the processor being operable with the program to: provide a first number of a first category of wagering units to the player, wherein the first category of wagering units corresponds to a first wagering restriction imposed upon the player during the session; and providing a second number of a first category of wagering units to the player, wherein the second category of wagering units corresponds to a second wagering restriction imposed upon the player during the session.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor if further operable with the program to, upon recognizing a bet requested by the player: determine whether a wagering unit being used for the bet is of the first category or of the second category; determine the wagering restriction associated with the category of the wagering unit being used for the bet; determine whether the bet requested by the player is consistent with the restriction; and reject the bet if the bet is not consistent with the restriction.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: recognize a request for cashout by the player; determine monetary value due to the player as a result of the session; and output the monetary value to the player in a cashable form.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor being operable with the program to determine a monetary value due to the player comprises the processor being operable with the program to: determine a starting balance of wagering units provided to the player at a beginning of the flat rate play session; determine a current balance of wagering units; and dispense any value of the current balance above the starting balance.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor if further operable with the program to: determine, upon a completion of a spin of the session, whether the player qualifies for a jackpot payout based upon a result of the spin and a result of at least one previous spin.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flat rate play session is defined by both a maximum net payout per spin and a maximum net payout for outside bets per spin.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: determine whether the bet is an outside bet; and if the bet is an outside bet, determine whether the initial payout is greater than the maximum net payout for outside bets.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein providing the initial payout to the player and providing the maximum net payout to the player both include returning a wager placed on the bet to the player.
 16. An apparatus for facilitating a video roulette wagering game, comprising: a processor operable to facilitate a wagering game; a memory storing a program, the memory operable to communicate with the processor; a display for outputting representations of a video roulette wagering game; the processor operable with the memory to: determine a player has purchased and is participating in a flat rate play session of the video roulette game, the flat rate play session being defined by a wagering restriction: recognize a bet requested by the player; determine whether the bet is compatible with the wagering restriction; and reject the bet if the bet is not compatible with the wagering restriction.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor if further operable with the program to: determine a number of spins comprising the flat rate play session; and display via the display the number of spins comprising the flat rate play session.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: upon an occurrence of each spin in the session, decrementing by one the number of spins remaining.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to: receive a payment for the flat rate play session, the payment comprising a flat rate price that is less than the sum of the wager available for placement during the session.
 20. An apparatus for facilitating a video roulette wagering game, comprising: a processor operable to facilitate a wagering game; a memory storing a program, the memory operable to communicate with the processor; a display for outputting representations of a video roulette wagering game; the processor operable with the memory to: output, via the display, a menu of available flat rate play sessions of a video roulette wagering game, wherein each flat rate play session is defined by a flat rate price and a plurality of wagering unite to be provided to the player for wagering during the flat rate play session, a monetary value of the plurality of wagering units being greater than a monetary value of the flat rate price, and wherein each flat rate play session is further defined by at least one of a wagering restriction and a maximum net payout per spin; receiving a selection of a flat rate play session, thereby determining a selected flat rate play session; receiving a payment of the flat rate price corresponding to the selected flat rate play session; and facilitating the selected flat rate play session by conducting a plurality of spins of the video roulette game in accordance with the at least one of the wagering restriction and the maximum net payout per spin. 